


Intoxication (M! Yandere x M! Reader)

by MoonyEater



Series: Original Works [1]
Category: Original Work
Genre: Blood Drinking, Blood and Gore, Character Death, Cliche, Demons, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder, Supernatural - Freeform, Unhealthy Relationships, Yandere, i wrote it seriously but even im not taking is seriously, male reader - Freeform, male yandere, please dont take this seriously
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-10-10
Packaged: 2021-02-28 19:22:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 18
Words: 34,435
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23392432
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonyEater/pseuds/MoonyEater
Summary: Damian Eve is such a weird name, suited for his just as weird character, you think. Though you can't help think the new kid at this school is kind of growing on you.//Another gross male yandere x male reader, but this time i threw my boy daemon into the mix.// Enjoy. I wrote this seriously, but I don't take is seriously and neither should you.
Relationships: OC/Reader, yandere/reader
Series: Original Works [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1642771
Comments: 8
Kudos: 41





	1. Today is an Unusual Case

You hadn't really meant to be late to school like you were now, but accidents happen. Your parents work quite a lot, leaving you to mostly take care of yourself, so it's only natural that sometimes you won't wake up on time. Especially since on snowy days like this, it would be amazing just to curl up in your bed and sleep. 

Nonetheless, you stop outside of the school gates to catch your breath. You've always walked to school because your house was close to the school and you usually weren't late. Again, you tell yourself, today is an unusual case.

You weren't in such a hurry anymore, but that doesn't mean you were walking. In a sprint you'd usually only use in track, you were rushing towards the entrance of the school. The ground was slick with ice though, and one wrong move sent you falling forward. You didn't hit the icy ground but instead landed awkwardly onto a student you toppled into. You smacked heads, both letting out groans of pain.

"Sorry..." you mumble as you sit up and hold your head with your hands. 

"Fuck off," the small boy underneath you hisses between clenched teeth. You don't recognize him at all, and that's saying something. After all, you were vice president of the student council and knew almost everybody at this high school.

"Don't stare at me like that," the boy snaps, "It's making me uncomfortable!" 

_'There's nothing to stare at,'_ you think. The boy looks boring to you in. He has messy black hair that makes him look like he hardly takes care of himself, dull green eyes, and face that makes him look like he's not even out of middle school yet. That could be the reason why you don't know him, though. He could be a middle schooler here on some business. 

His outfit says differently, even if it does seem like it's way too big for his thin frame. 

"I'm sorry again," you say with a smile as you get up off of him. "I just don't recognize who you are." You get up to my feet, offering your hand out to him in the process. 

He doesn't hesitate to grab it, and you help him up. "Thank you," he mumbles out, "And it's okay. My fault for not seeing you." You could see why he would make such a statement. Now that you both were standing up, you could see that the left side of his bangs almost completely covered his eyes. 

_'Like those anime characters... Or those cliche emos,'_ you think. 

"It's my fault, actually. I slipped and fell, but even if I didn't slip, I would have run into you still. Oh, by the way, are you hurt? You landed pretty heavily, and I probably didn't help." 

The boy leans down, grabbing his bag. You get a clear shot of his soaked through school uniform. You were lucky just your the sleeves of your shirt, and some of your pants got soaked. 

"I'm used to being pushed to the ground," he says, "But I'm actually quite cold now." He stands up straight again, wrapping his arms around his body. You feel uneasy at the boy's first comment but pretend to not acknowledge it just yet. 

"Let's hurry inside, and you can get a change of uniform." You say, leading him in. You meet with the principal, Mr. Smith, and explain to him about what happened. 

"I'm sorry for being late," you say. 

"Apologize to your first-period teacher," Mr. Smith says, "But since you are here, I'd like to request a favor of you." 

"What is it, sir?" 

"This boy here is Mr. Eve. As you probably know already, he's a new student. I'd greatly appreciate that if you, as the student council _vice_ president, to show him around."

"I wouldn't mind," You say. It's nothing new for you. You're always showing new students around. It looks good on you to help out people. 

"You're a good kid, Mr. (L/N)." 

There is little more to be said, and once you get your absence note, you two leave. 

"I'll show you the bathrooms so you can change into the spare uniform." 

The boy doesn't spare you a glance as he says, "I can deal with it. Just show my first class. I don't want you to be any later than you already are." 

You want to say thank you, but the words don't come from your mouth. He's being quite considerate, or maybe he just doesn't want to be with you anymore. After all, you notice, the boy is looking a little grumpy. You let out the tiniest of huffs, looking down at his schedule. His name is Damian Eve, which sounds odd on the tongue and in your head. He's in the grade right below you, but that doesn't make much sense to you either. You're a junior, and that would make him a sophomore, but he doesn't look anything at all like a 15-16-year-old. Maybe he just got the short end of the stick with genetics. 

"Here you go," you say, pausing outside the chemistry class. "Wait inside your class after the bell rings, and I'll come to pick you up." 

He gives you a face and says, "I can figure these things out by myself. I don't need you to hold my hand and walk me around like a kid."

"Don't make an ass out of yourself," you say. The kid has some right to be grumpy, but there's no reason to snap at you like this. "Anyways, it's just for today. I'm sure you'll be able to figure things out tomorrow."

"Fine, since you so badly want to hang out with me, I'll let you." There's a glint of mischief in his eyes and the slightest smirk on his face. 

"Can I help you, boys?" 

The chemistry teacher is standing at the door, an unamused look on her face. 

"Just delivering the new boy," you chirp, "But now that I've brought him here, I should be leaving." You smile politely at her, before leaving and heading to your class. Your teacher is a little upset, but once you give him the note, things become a little smoother. 

You take your seat in front of your best friend. Time passes by quietly as you write the notes down in pristine and pretty handwriting. As soon as the bell rings, you turn to your friend with the best puppy-dog eyes you can muster. 

"Sure, you can borrow my notes," he says before a word can actually leave your mouth. 

Your friend is a very athletic boy named Jack Brown. His smarts aren't all there, but that doesn't mean he isn't dumb. If he was, Jack wouldn't be in a school like this.

"You know me so well." 

He hands you his notes, which you take and shove into your bag before hurrying from the room. Though Hugo has no time catching up with you. 

"What's with the rush? 

"There's a new kid who I have to show around."

"Is it a cute girl?" 

Jack is a hopeless romantic.

"It's a lowerclassman." 

There's a hopeless glance in Jack's eyes. 

"And a boy. So, unless you're going gay, don't get your hopes up." 

"Want me to take your bag to your next class?" Jack offers immediately changing the subject. 

"Thank you, but I got it. You get to class before you're late because unlike me, you don't have an excuse." 

Jack doesn't argue, instead, he just runs to catch up with your other friends. 

The rest of the day is like that. You lead Damian around, showing him his classes and picking him up from them. Already he seems to be making friends smiling and joking around. It's like he's a totally different person from earlier, but that could be that he's just not a morning person. 

"I guess this is the last time we'll actually hang around each other," you say as the both of you wait outside. School ended only a few minutes ago, and you should have been on your way home until you saw Damian hanging around by himself at the gate.

"It doesn't have to be," Damian looks up at you, hands in his pockets. There's a cheeky little grin on his face, "Mr. Vice President." 

You roll your eyes, breathing hot air onto your cold hands. "If you think being friends with me is gonna make you popular, think otherwise." 

"Oh, don't worry," he says, "I don't need your help getting popular."

As you're about to reply, he suddenly breaks off into a sprint as a car pulls up. "Bye-bye!" he waves at you, getting into the front seat of a modest-looking car. 

After he leaves, you're walking home alone. 

Today was an unusual case, really. You met a boy who was something else. He was a little irritating, but you could vibe with it. 


	2. C h a p t e r t w o: Sherry, the occult girl!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You have to think about some stuff man.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the P.O.V shifts aren't obnoxious. This chapter took so many of my brain cells and imploded them.

"Thank you for tutoring me again," Damian hums, sitting across from you.

It has been almost a month since Damian has arrived at your school, and he seemed to be stuck to you like a burr. He had questions upon questions from about schoolwork he was doing, and it was in the third when week when you decided to start tutoring him. You even planned a few small sessions for the Christmas break coming up. 

"No problem," you smile at him, pulling the work he was currently working on. It was a subject that really wasn't your strong suit, but that doesn't mean you couldn't at least try and help. After all, you passed the core class and moved on. 

The time seems to fly past, and six comes rolling around. 

"I'll see you next Monday," he says, shoving his books and papers into his bag. 

"We'll be having exams all weekend, and I'll need to study. I might not be able to tutor you."

Those dull green eyes of his widen, his movements stop.

"But I won't be able to pass without your help!"

There's a whininess that hasn't been there before. 

"I might fail! Please, (Y/N)!"

You want to say yes, but you can't. 

"You've caught on quickly with all the material you've been given. I'm sure you're going to pass." 

This sudden personality shift in Damian throws you off. He's usually loud, irritating, and a know-it-all that can't say a friendly remark to save his life. His brows are furrowed, and he stands up. Words you've never heard him say come from that vulgar mouth of his. 

"You're right." 

He's grinning, pulling on his shoes and jacket. "Though I was hoping you would cave in, I guess I'll have to ask one of my classmates for help."

You lean onto the table, watching him set his plate onto the counter. "You know if you wanted to hang out with me, you should have just asked," you say, pointing out what he was obviously trying to get at. 

You can't miss the little glance he gives you, the way he turns his whole back towards you so you can't see his stupid face turn red.

"I don't want to hang out with you," he says, "You're annoying. and you talk too much. I'm only doing this so I can get better scores than all my classmates." 

You laugh as you watch him scurry out from your house. You stopped showing him out the second week, finding no reason for it anymore. With him gone, you can get started on cleaning up the house before your mom arrives. She's very picky about the state of the place after all. You grab Damian's plate, shocked at how you hadn't noticed he hadn't touched the food at all. He must have been starving, skipping lunch, and then this make-shift dinner like this. Idiot boy, you think, and scrape the food into the trashcan. 

~~ (P.O.V Shift) ~~

Damian gets into the car, feeling as if the cool air did nothing to get rid of this heat he was feeling in his face. 

"How... How tutoring today?" 

He looks over at his mother, smiling at her. She looks horrible again. She's getting scrawnier by the day, and the bags underneath her eyes make her look like shit. It's a surprise she's doesn't have a bruised lip or black eye though he supposes he should count that as a win. 

"It was great. That kid is really something, Mother. He's smart and athletic. But above all, he interests me." Damian doesn't need to turn his head to know that his mom has started to shake beyond control. If she's not careful, she's going to jerk the wheel and crash the car. 

"I hope we can stay here for long. I hate jumping from school to school."

"You've told me..." she mumbles, hands reaching for the music. She's probably thinking if she can turn it on, she can tune her son out. Ignore the words spilling from his mouth and that toothy grin on his face.

Damian allows her, looking out the window and towards the snow. He's seen many different places. He has been put into many different schools. This is one of those few occasions where someone is actually able to catch his attention like this. 

_'Well count yourself lucky, (Y/N), you've just been chosen to be doted on by a beautiful boy like me.'_

_~~ (P.O.V is back with YOU, but the time has changed. Finales have passed and two weeks of Christmas break is here.) ~~_

Sherry approaches you after school. Like Jack, she's a childhood friend of yours who's always been into occult stuff. You didn't know whether you liked it or if it made you uneasy, but she was your friend and you could hardly judge her. 

"You need to stop hanging out with the sophomore kid." 

Now, you defiantly find it a little odd that's the first thing she decided to approach you with. 

"I'm only tutoring him." 

"There's no need for that, though! He's been passing his grade with some of the highest marks! All his finales are above and beyond!" 

You get that he wanted you to tutor him when he's already so smart is a little weird, but you don't get what she's getting at. He's most likely just using you, is what you think. Though, knowing Sherry, she's probably looking deeper into this than what it actually is. 

"He doesn't eat, you know? I've talked to some of his friends and they tell me he skips breakfast and lunch. You might say he's not hungry, but he also rejects chocolates and sweets given to him!"

You really just want her to get to the point, but you don't interrupt. 

"He's also very good at p.e even though he doesn't have the body for it. But besides that, he's also super pale. Like _deathly_ pale." 

You're ready for one of her stupid theories. You've heard them a billion times. How this person is supposedly a werewolf just cuz they got a little hair on their leg or how this person is a witch since they're always doing some witchy stuff by her standards. 

"He's a vampire. That has to be it! I bet he's wearing contacts to hide his dead eyes!" 

"Sherry, for the love of God I love you so much, but that stuff is middle schooler stuff. I don't mind if you fantasize about werewolves and vampires and shit like that, but they're not real. I think it's more than obvious that either Damian has a crush on me or that he's using me for popularity. Not for my blood or whatever you think he's hanging out with me for." 

You're a little breathless after that rant, and you hope that Sherry at least hears a little bit of what you're saying, but her expression tells you otherwise. 

"But don't you find some of his behavior odd?!" 

You really want to move onto a different topic. 

"I'll stop tutoring him than, but can we please stop talking about this?" your voice comes out snappy and for a good reason. 

"You'll thank you me later!" she hums, linking their arms together. "Oh, I also came here to tell you that Jack and Keith invited us to hang out!" 

_~~ (P.O.V Shift) ~~_

Damian digs his nails into the bark of the tree, glaring holes into the back of the girl's head. 

_'Sherry. Her name is Sherry. She's trying to ruin my fun.'_

Sure he didn't need the tutoring, but he wanted to hang out with (Y/N). He needed to hang out with the (hair color) boy. At first, he thought it'd be awkward to just approach (Y/N) and ask to hang out! They'd only met once after all, and that's because the boy had been forced to show Damian around. 

Then he realizes how pathetic he's acting. (Y/N) immediately caught his attention and he leeched onto that, but did he actually want to hang out with him? He furrows his brows, biting into his lip as he thought about it. 

His grip on the tree lightens. 

_'I should really just make friends in my own grade...'_

Damian turns away from them, running back to the school building. 


	3. Christmas Break

When you broke the news to Damian that you won't be tutoring him anymore, he seemed to shrug it off with ease. He grinned and laughed, apologizing for coming over. You don't miss the way his expression seemed to morph into anger for a split second or how he had wrinkled the paper he had held on to tightly. 

You should have just let it drop there. Let the boy go back to wherever he lived and be done with it. That's not what you do, though. You smile at him and say, "Do you wanna come inside and hang out? No use in coming over and then having to walk back in such weather."

His mood seems to instantly brighten, and he waltzes into your house. 

"Thanks," he says, grinning at you. 

You thought that day might have gone by slowly, but it didn't. You hardly even noticed when it was the sun casting it's last few rays. It wasn't that you two were doing anything particularly fun, but with Damian time just seemed to speed up. 

"I'll be back to kick your ass in Mario again!" the dark-haired boy proclaims loudly. 

"I don't even understand how you could have seen the TV with all that hair in your eyes." 

He sticks out his tongue, slinging his bag over his shoulder. "It's a secret." 

He heads for the door, but he doesn't get very far. 

"Wait... It's dark outside..." 

"Are you offering that I should stay the night?"

"No, I'm offering to drive you home."

"I like my idea better, but sure. I won't complain." 

He's unnaturally quiet when they drive to his house. He stares out the window, watching the large houses pass by. 

"You haven't told me much about your family," you say. It's a better time than none to learn about the other boy. It would also break the silence.

"There's not really much to tell," he says, "You already know about my sister. I have a mom. I have a dad." He shifts in his seat, turning to look at you. 

"What about you, though? You've haven't said a thing about your family and they're never home when I'm over. Do they work across seas?" 

"Not exactly. My mom is a fashion designer, and my dad is a big businessman. They're just really busy." 

"Are they going to be home for Christmas?"

"Of course they are. Just because they aren't home a lot doesn't mean they are never home," you say, your skin prickling as you defend your parents. Out of the corner of your eye, you notice the look he's giving you. 

It's infuriating in a way because you can't tell if it's pity or something else. You don't need his pity at all. This underclassman barely knows you anyways. 

"No offense was intended. Just worried that you'd end up spending your Christmas home alone. There's no need to pout." 

You don't even realize that you're pouting, but you turn and glare at him. 

"Eyes on the road." 

You snap your gaze back to the road, closing your mouth. Yeah, this guy is definitely irritating, and you didn't know if you would be able to vibe with it much longer.

~ ~ ~

"Hey... Thanks for driving me home." 

You look over the boy. He is leaning forward, hands cupping his face as he smiles at you. 

"I hate the cold and didn't really look forward to walking, so you saved me. I owe you one."

His voice is so soft, his usually blank eyes brimming with light. 

"Yeah. No problem." 

You can't believe what you're doing until it's done, and Damian can't believe it either it seems. Your hand has reached and ruffled the black hair. 

You retract your hand quickly. 

"Um... I..." 

His face is flushed red, but that smile on his face has turned to a wicked grin. 

"Careful there hotshot you might actually start liking me!" he's snickering, as he opens the door. "See you!" 

You watch him walk away towards the house, opening the door and being greeted by a little girl. You watch as he smiles and laughs, picking up the little girl and kissing her forehead. And then you realize how creepy that is. Especially after you just awkwardly patted his head like a little kid. So, face flushing, you drive off. 

~ ~ ~ 

"Hi," you say to your mom. It's a surprise she got home before you. 

"Hello, sweetie." 

She's shoving a fast-food hamburger into her mouth. 

"I had a friend over and lost track of time," you explain. 

"It's okay. I can't expect you to cook every night." 

Her voice is icy, and she doesn't even look at you.

"When is Father coming home?" you ask. You're rooted to your spot in the kitchen, unable to move until your mother dismisses you.

"He's at a meeting." 

That doesn't answer your question, but she doesn't look like she's going to say anymore to you. 

"I'm going to go, Mother. I love you."

You hasten away from the kitchen, your heart beating loudly in your chest. You don't even catch a simple, _"I love you too, sweetheart"_ from her as you stumble your way up the stairs. Make no mistake though, you do truly love your mother, but when she was like this, it was almost unbearable to be in the same room as her. 

It's annoying how she's like this to you, even though you try so hard to appeal to her. You just wish she would appreciate all the little things you do. 

You almost slam your door shut. _Almost._ At the last second, you close it gently. After all, you don't want to make your mother's headache worse. You grab clothes for a shower. Maybe that would help you relax. Get your mind off of things for a while. 

The (hot/cold) shower does seem to work in calming those nerves of yours. It doesn't let you forget about the incredibly important thing you forgot, though, because as you get ready for bed, your stomach lets out a rumble. You planned on ordering take-out for you, but your plans were ruined by your mother coming home early. 

There's a soft knock on your door that draws your attention. 

"You can come in, Mom." 

The door squeaks open, and your mother walks in. She's holding a plate of what looks like some foreign food. 

"I'm sorry about my temper earlier," she murmurs, holding out the tray of food for you. "Work went terribly today, and I was just looking forward to coming home." She's offering a small smile to you as you take the food.

"It's okay." 

Whatever is on this tray smells absolutely wonderful. She must have ordered this while you were in the shower. 

"I didn't expect you to have anything cooked because I was coming home early..." She has a guilty expression on her face, which starts to make you feel uncomfortable. You didn't like to see her like this, even if she could be a bit unbearable at times. 

"It's okay really. Thank you." 

She looks like she's going to embrace, but thinks better of it. Your parents weren't exactly touchy after all. 

"I'm going to catch up on my soaps now... Enjoy yourself." 

She's gone, and the door is closed before you can get another word. It wasn't like you were going to say anything meaningful anyway. You enjoy the exotic food and put on one of your favorite (shows/movies) to go along with it. You don't remember falling asleep. 

~ ~ ~

Damian looks up from his phone, and to his little sister who is offering him a plate of food. 

"You must be very hungry! You should eat."

He looks at the food, his nose turning up in disgust. 

"I'm fine, but thank you." 

She's a persistent little thing though, shoving the food right up into her brother's face. 

"If you don't eat, you're going to harm your body! I learned about it in class." 

The dark-haired boy starts to sweat a little, taking the plate from his sister's hands. He guesses it wouldn't hurt just to take a few bites. 

"Tell me how the school is going." 

He shoves the green beans into his mouth, trying to ignore how both the texture and taste make him want to gag. 

"It's going great! I've made a lot of friends! Though, these two boys are being kind of mean to me." 

Damian swallows the food, dreading the next bite as his sister continues talking. 

"They're names are Nathan and Jacob... I really wish they would stop being so mean to me, but I'm not the only one they pick on. They mess with all the girls in our glass." 

Damian's stomach twists into knots, but he smiles at Carolina. 

"I hate to hear that, little sis. What exactly do they do?" 

"They like to hide my stuff and pull my hair most of the time. When the boys are being really mean, they prefer to push me around."

"If you want..." Damian sets down the plate, "I can get them to stop messing with you." 

"Oh, really? Thank you, big bro!" she wraps her arms around him in a tight embrace, and the only thing he can do is hug her back. 

"I'd do anything for you," he lets out a low hum. 

He catches his mother's eyes, and she instantly looks away. He knows she didn't approve of them hanging out, but she couldn't do much when their father was out of the house. 

"You should get ready for bed." 

Damian stands up, grabbing the plate off of the table. 

"Oh, and thank you for the food. It was very delicious." 

He gives Carolina a head pat, ruffling up her brown hair, and walks to the kitchen. 

"You shouldn't talk to her..." his mother whispers, grabbing onto his sleeve, "She says things, but she doesn't mean them. You shouldn't take any notice of her words... She's just a little kid..." 

He doesn't understand why his mother is shaking so much, but he can guess. 

"You're overreacting, Mother." 

He smiles at her, peeling her fingers off of his sleeve. She was such a gaunt thing with dark eye bags. 

"Father won't have to know." 

Damian drops his plate and all onto the ground, letting it shatter into a million pieces. 

"After all, you have more pressing matters to worry about." 

A look of fear crosses her features as she glances at the clock. 

"Right." 

Damian is met at the bathroom door by his little sister. 

"You're supposed to be in bed," he says, placing his hands on his hips. 

"I heard a crash." 

"I accidentally dropped my plate, but Mom's picking it up for me." 

She hugs her stuffed animal close to her chest, her wide green eyes staring up at her older brother. "I don't want to sleep alone... Can you stay with me until I fall asleep?" she asks, grabbing his hand, "Please?" 

He looks longingly at the bathroom door, but he can't deny his little sister. 

"Of course!" he swoops her up into his arms and carries her to her room. 

~ ~ ~

Damian vomits again, eyes blurred with tears. He had held down the food for so long this time. He should have been proud of himself. The tears just kept coming down, and the food just kept coming up. Damian doesn't feel so proud of himself. 


	4. The Murder

You greeted Charlie at the door. She only became your friend quite recently, but you really liked her so far. Not only was she smart, but she was sweet and had natural girl hobbies. She was totally different from Sherry. 

"I'm sorry we didn't get to hang out for Christmas break," she says with a gentle smile. 

"It's my fault," you say, leading her to your living room, "I didn't make time for you. But now we can hang out." 

"You didn't have to, you know... I understand if you're busy and stuff..." Charlie whispers, poking the tips of her index fingers together nervously. 

"I want to! I really like hanging out with you!" 

You grab her hand, pulling her close to you. Being around her makes your head spin, makes your heartbeat, and if you were any more smarter, you'd guessed that you had a little crush on her and that she felt the same way. 

"My folks left the day after Christmas, so we have the whole house to ourselves," you say, giving her a charming smile. "I thought we could maybe watch some movies? Play some video games? If you don't want to stay inside all day, we can also go out and hang somewhere." You're rambling, but Charlie doesn't mind. She just smiles at you, admiring all your features. She thinks she could watch you all day and never tire of it. 

"I don't mind what we do." 

You two end up doing not as much as you would have liked to hope. You two laze around, eating popcorn and watching movies. Even if you didn't go out and hang around, you still found yourself having so much fun. 

The way she laughs is just so pretty, and the way she smiles is angelic. You can't help but find yourself wanting to kiss such a pretty girl. 

"We should hang out again," you say, not so subtly putting your arm around her. She doesn't seem to hate it though, curling up there. 

"I think so too," she mumbles, resting her head against your shoulder. Her hair tickles your nose, and you can smell the soaps she'd used on her hair. If you hadn't been as strong as you were, you might have blushed. You might have looked away from this beautiful angel in your arms. Might have missed the way her eyes shined when she caught sight of you looking down at her. 

"It's getting late... Maybe I should start to head home..." she looks down, nibbling on her fingertip. 

"You can stay here for the night. No need to senselessly go out into this cold." 

"Thank you, (Y/n)," she says, pressing up against you. "Truthfully, I don't like driving in the dark... It's kind of scary..." She's still nibbling on her finger, her words coming out in a jumbled mess. 

"It's dangerous, anyway," you say, wrapping your arm around her shoulder. You could have honestly fallen asleep right there. Wouldn't have minded it one bit, but you'd both wake up with an uncomfortable creak in your back. It's also near dinner time, and you both only have been snacking on popcorn. 

"How about I order some take-out? We can finish up this movie during dinner." 

She nods her head and says, "That seems like a pretty good idea. Thank you again for letting me stay over... I really mean it." You smile down at her, patting her on her shoulder. "We're friends! Of course, I'd do anything to make you comfortable."

\+ + +

You can hear her shift around on your bed as if sleep wouldn't come to her as easily as it had come to you. 

"Hey, you alright..." you ask her, shifting onto your side so you can get a good look at her. Even from your disadvantageous spot, you know she's not actually sleeping. 

"Yeah... Sorry... I just have a hard time sleeping in new places, you know?" she says, her voice cracking. "I shouldn't have stayed the night, but when you offered, I couldn't refuse... You were being so sweet and generous, how could I deny you?" She's curling up into a fetal position, and the first sob escapes through her lips. 

Instead of laying about on the floor, you go to Charlie's side in her moment of need. 

"I'm sorry... If I knew you would be so scared, I could have driven you home. I could have brought your car in the morning..." 

"I wouldn't want to trouble someone like you with all my stupid little things. I know I'm safe here, but my mind likes to play tricks on me... I can't help it, but I want you to know that I like being here. Being with you." 

She's clinging onto your shirt, sobbing into your shoulder. The only thing you can do is hold the shaking girl, whisper to her the first thing that comes to your mind, and comfort her. 

Charlie takes a bit to calm down, but you don't mind a single bit. She's starting to feel better, and that's all you care about. 

"(Y/n)," she mumbles once she calms down. 

"Yeah?" 

"I'm sorry... I think I got blood on your sheets... Stupid me..." 

She seems to start going back into that mood, shaking and tearing up. 

"No! It's totally ok! I'm sure my mother has some stuff to help you!" 

You grab her hand and don't understand why she pulls away with a pained scream. That is until you saw the blood-streaked across your palms. 

The tips of her fingers were chewed through, nails were broken and the skin mangled. 

"It's supposed to help me calm down... But it didn't. I just kept thinking and thinking! It felt like my head was about to explode! I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" She lets out a sob, shaking like a mad person. 

Maybe you are a little creeped out, but you know that you have to help her. That this is just a breakdown. 

Ever so careful you grab her shoulders and look her in the eye. "Please breathe for me... In and out." You do a small demonstration for her, breathing in and then exhaling loudly. "Please."

She nods, letting out trembling breaths and inhaling just as shaky ones. Bit by bit she seems to calm down. Starting to get ahold of herself little by little. 

"We need to bandage up your hands... I'm not a very good medic, but I think I know what should work, ok? And afterward, we can change the sheets, and I'll give you some of my clothes. If you want to go home after this, you can. I'll drive you home." 

Charlie thinks this is the sweetest voice she's ever heard spoken to her in awhile. While everything seems rough and scratchy to her, you seem soft and quiet. Like a gentle breeze that she wants to cling on selfishly too. 

"I don't want to sound needy or selfish, but can you please sleep with me? You don't have to hold me. You can face your back to me, but I think I would feel safer if you were right next to me." 

You don't deny her request, leading her to the bathroom. You cleanse her hands of the blood, bandaging them to the of your ability. You really don't know much about this stuff, but Charlie seems satisfied with it. 

"I really appreciate this." 

You only smile and nod. 

"Here are some clothes. I'll meet you back in the room." 

You're back in your room, stripping out of your blood-stained shirt and slipping on a cozier one. 

Charlie is soon back on the bed, curling on the side closest to the wall. You look at her, and a strong urge to just hold her overcomes you. She looks so frail and weak with black-rimmed eyes. Different from how she normally is. You understand why she would try to hide this side of her. It must seem pathetic. 

"Can I wrap my arm around you?" you ask, closing the distance between you two. 

"Please..." she whispers. 

You bring her close to your chest, burrowing your face into her hair. Her bandaged hands are clinging ever so lightly onto your arms as if she was scared you might leave her once she lets go. 

You won't. Not for tonight at least.

\+ + +

"Sorry about last night," Charlie says, scratching the back of her neck. "It was really uncalled for..." 

You grab onto her hands, gently, and give her one of your famous charming smiles. 

"I don't mind. We all have our bad days, and you're no different. I can still always drive you home, though." 

She quickly refuses the offer, a smile plastered onto her face. She wants to say she doesn't want to bother you anymore, but the words stay stuck in her mouth like peanut butter. "I hope we can hang out soon, (Y/n). Bye!" 

She waves at you, and you wave back. If you were even the tiniest bit smarter, you might have realized you developed feelings for her a long time ago. That these feelings are only manifesting the more you two hang out. And after last night? Those blossoming feelings are coming to full bloom. 

After she's gone, the house is quiet. Lonier. It's usually like this. You shouldn't have minded it as much as you did, but now there's a weird feeling in your chest. Like you need to fill this house with as much music and noise as you can. At least to block out the silence for a while. 

Maybe you could invite some of your other friends over? You can play some video games with them until dark. You could study for the tests to come after the holidays. 

You leave your phone on your table, heading towards the study hall. You can't let the potential your parents drilled into you go to waste. You'll have time to hang out with friends later. The holiday was coming to a close after all. Studying was the only thing that was on your mind. 

So you do exactly that. You study until your head is pounding, and the room has gotten too stuffy for you to concentrate. 

\+ + + 

When your parents get home, you greet them at the door. You smile and take your mother's coat. 

"How was the business trip?" you ask. 

She laughs, handing you a bag. "It was wonderful! Your dad is surely something! And since we've been gone for a few days we decided to get you a gift." 

While your mom is absolutely bursting at the seams with joy, your father has his usual cold expression on his face. He pats your shoulder, though, letting you know that he cares about you even if he can't express it properly. 

"Thanks. Both of you." 

"And you kept the house in amazing condition it seems! Hardly a speck of dust anywhere! You won't have to worry about that much longer, though! We've hired a new maid to help around the house so we can limit your chores." 

You thank them again, but soon after, life continues almost as if they never came home. Your father stays locked up in his private study and your mother binges her favorite shows. Sometimes, if she's in one of her good moods, she'll talk to you. Banter a little during the commercial breaks until her show is back on. 

You can hardly wait for Monday to come. 

\+ + +

"Did you know there's been a murder?" 

"Two little boys." 

"Torn to shreds..." 

"By a wild beast, they say..." 

"Horrifying!" 

"That's sick!" 

"There were bite marks all over them..." 

The news spread like wildfire, and for most of the day, that was all you heard about. The murder of two elementary boys. They were found in the schoolyard by two joggers. There weren't many details, but people were making huge speculation. 

Death wasn't unnatural in such a large city, but the way they were murdered is what made this a big deal. 

Being popular and surrounded by tons of people had its perks, but it also had its downfall. Especially being friends with Sherry, the gossip queen herself. 

"The police are saying that the bite doesn't match any dog around here! They're thinking there's a cannibal around. I heard it from this kid whose father is a policeman." 

"Sherry, can you give it a break? This is all you've been talking about since you stepped into school this morning!" Keith snaps at her. As usual, she doesn't seem affected by someone telling her to shut her trap. 

"I'm just speaking my mind! I'm 100% sure I'm allowed to do that!" she quips back and is soon about to start her rant again until you cut her off. 

"Where is Damian? He's usually with us by now?" you ask.

Sherry's gaze is so sharp it could cut diamond. 

"Why do you care whether he sits with us or not? It's not like we're his friends or anything. He only hung around us because you decided to take him under your wing and tutor him." 

_'Which was pointless,'_ she wants to add. 

"I like to consider him as a friend." 

It feels like the air suddenly drops around Sherry. When she has her mind set on something, she's the most stubborn person there is. 

"He was in class this morning, but he looked like he was about to pass out. The teacher sent him to the office," Keith says, shoving tater tots into his mouth. He doesn't like the tension between the two long-time friends and so the best thing to do would probably be split them up for now. 

"He's probably gone home by now, but you could always check if you really wanted to." 

Sherry wants to stop you, but you're already gone. After you hung out with Damian that one night, he never showed up at your door again. He ignored your texts. You just wanted to figure out why. Maybe he really didn't want to be friends with you. 

Nah, you don't think that's the case. Perhaps he imagined things would be awkward after that stupid little head pat. 

"Hello sir..." you greet the principal, hands behind your back. 

"What brings you to me today?"

"I was wondering if Damian Eve has been sent home today?"

"He has." 

You fiddled with the cuff of your blazer.

"I'll take it upon myself to bring him his homework... After all, I'm the one who's been tutoring him." 

"About that," the principal says, "He's been taken off the tutoring program. We've got his scores from his old school and after taking a look at his exams we deemed it necessary." 

"Yes. Thank you for informing me."

"You can be off now. The bell will ring any second, and we don't want the vice president to be late." 

The way he says _'vice'_ is so full of venom that you can't hardly miss it. The pressure you had momentarily forgotten is back on your shoulders. At this school, it's only the best students who get recommendations for good colleges. If you're stuck in the dirt, barely dragging your way through, you can kiss your life goodbye. 

"Yes. Have a good day, sir." 

You grace him one of your charming smiles and leave. 

\+ + + 

The end of the school day rolls around, and you collect Damian's school work from his teachers. You thank every one of them, forcing that smile of yours. You're both looking good in front of the teachers by helping a fellow student, and you're also helping a friend. 

It's a win-win for sure! 

As stated before, even if the weather gets bad, you don't usually bring your car to school. You think it's just a waste of gas... And maybe the parking expenses are a little too high for your taste. That means you'll just have to suck it up and go for a small walk. 

It isn't as bad as you think until you start realizing that you're going to have to walk back to your house. The houses around his home also seem way less refined the more you go. You hadn't noticed before just how actually a slump the neighborhood Damian lived in was till now. Though you have only been to his house once, and you didn't even stay around long enough to get a good look at your bearings. 

You get to his house though, tapping your knuckle against the door. 

You're met with the face of a little girl. The same one who had greeted your underclassman at the door. 

"Big bro saw you walk up the driveway! He sent me down to bring you in!" she reaches out, grabbing onto your sleeve. "He says you can come see him! Come on!" 

You're useless to fight against the little girl who practically drags you up the stairs and towards the bedroom with the door open. 

"Big bro! Big bro! I brought him!" she giggles, releasing your sleeve and running over to the lump underneath the covers. 

"Carolina... I thought I told you to scare him away with the festival masks... I'm not feeling well to see anyone..." 

You can tell his small form is shaking underneath the thin cloth. He must be too hot for anything heavier. 

"Don't worry, I won't be staying for too long. I just wanted to drop off your schoolwork." 

He grumbles something you don't catch, but Carolina starts looking pretty unhappy. 

"Big bro, greet your best friend right now! Be nice to him!" 

Damian lets out a groan and you're about to tell him there's no need to get up, but it's a bit too late for that. The boy has his blanket wrapped tightly around him, his eyes downcasted towards the floor. 

"You shouldn't let your sister bully you into getting up on my behalf," you say quickly, reaching out to him. 

"It's fine..." he shrugs, rubbing his eyes with an exposed arm. You can't help ignore the scars that run-up to his shoulder and the now slightly exposed collarbone. You quickly look away, waiting for him to cover himself back up. You seriously think you weren't supposed to see that. That perhaps in his fever he slipped up. 

"Hey, (Y/n), so you brought my homework? You're such a good student. I'll be right back. Freshen up a bit." 

He walks out of the room with the blanket over his head. You can't catch his expression this whole time as either he had his eyes closed or they were covered up by his unruly hair. 

"He won't be back for a bit! He takes forever to "freshen" up." 

Carolina pulls you onto his bed. 

"Where are your parents? The house is pretty empty." 

"At work! I'm not actually supposed to be in here with Damian, but he's my big bro, and he's sick. Oh, don't tell my parents that! I'll be in big trouble! You're his friend, right? You won't tell? Promise?" 

"You can trust me. I won't."

Curiosity was gnawing at your stomach. Why would his little sister not be allowed in his room? It's possible that they could have been worried about her catching whatever Damian has, but then why would they leave their son alone when he wasn't even able to hardly move? 

You realize how much of Sherry-thinking you're doing right. Over-analyzing the smallest details when it probably doesn't matter. 

"I'm back," Damian says. He's standing in the doorway with arms crossed over his chest. He's switched into a baggy sweater and the usual baggy jeans, though, it looks like he's going to overheat any second. Your mind instantly goes to the scars you saw. 

"Now you're starting to look presentable," you tease, watching his usual grin spread across his expression. He's pulled his hair back some, brushing some strands behind his ear. A new change, if subtle. 

"I always look presentable. You just have to have a keen eye to appreciate true beauty." 

You catch how his words slurred just a bit at the end, but he holds himself up with such pride that you think you might have imagined it. 

"Despite homework, I have something else to tell you. It might be better if only you heard it." 

"You heard that sis, you have to get out." 

"Fine, but if it's really bad you have to tell me! I hate being left in the dark!" she giggles, running from the room and closing the door behind her. 

"So, what's got your face all grim like that?" 

"There's been two murders at the elementary school." 

You can't tell what expression had crossed his face when he heard the news, but you know he's probably shocked. Maybe a little fearful, despite how well he seems to hide it. 

"How did they die?"

"Torn to bits from what I heard. There's a lot of rumors going around that dogs did it, but Sherry heard that those weren't dog teeth. There are rumors of a cannibal going around now... I wanted to tell you before you went to school and heard about it."

Damian is looking down at the ground, probably trying to comprehend the news. 

"It must be pretty scary hearing that murder happened at your sister's school, but I don't think you should worry too much. The police will handle it and find the culprit. I'm sure of it."

He seems to strain a grin as he looks at you. "Thanks. I'm sure they will..." 

"You really didn't have to get up though... You look uncomfortable."

"It's fine... I could never deny what my sister wants." 

You shake your head, not understanding. Maybe it's because you don't have any younger siblings, but you're sure you wouldn't let them push you around like that. 

"Here's your homework. I do need to be getting home soon. Feel better soon." 

Before you can get up, Damian is reaching out. His hand slaps on top of your head, rubbing your head. 

"It's only natural you deserve a head pat back." 

His smile is full of cheerfulness, and you can't help but smile back. 


	5. Sherry's Bad Luck

[Disclaimer! Suicide Attempt Mentioned]

\+ + +

As an only child, you are expected to bear the responsibility of both of your parent's companies. You are expected to be smarter than the average kid. You have so many high expectations placed upon your head like a crown, but that crown is too heavy for you to bear. 

You got into one of the best schools in the state because of your parents. Because you overworked yourself most nights, and hardly retrain proper body care. You thought high school might be a better place for you to relax, but the school was just as horrible. You've seen kids flunk out just because of the pressure they were put under. You didn't think you would even pass freshman grade. 

It's all thanks to a certain boy who you've come to loathe. The student council president, Kyle Moralis. He smiled down at you, bringing you underneath his wing. He was perfect in everything he did and conveniently attractive. Everybody wanted to be with him. Everybody wanted to be him. 

At least, that's what it felt like to you. It felt like everybody fawned over him, addressed his every need. You wouldn't call it jealousy yourself, but it was exactly that. 

So, he's the reason you strove to be better. To do everything with perfect accuracy. To have your name be remembered. To be surrounded by friends and not have to worry too much. You got the friends, but the burdens only seemed to increase. Everything you did seemed to make everything only worse.

That's how you came to live with it, though. Soon it became easy. Fake a smile, study like your life is on the line, take every opportunity to look good. Do everything in your power to succeed. 

That's how come you've started noticing all the little details. How you're able to pick up on the smallest things. Like when people whisper behind your back when you turn away. How those below you eye you with hate and contempt. How those same people are failing in life before it even officially began for them. 

You might be a little slow for feelings, but soon you realize that you like Charlie. That's what you must be feeling for her. That's why when January ends, you ask her out. It's not surprising she said yes. She had feelings for you back. 

The gruesome mauling of elementary kids has been getting worse, and it's noted that the animal behind this has not been captured. Or, more specifically, the murderer behind these killings. 

It didn't escape your attention just how much school Damian also seemed to be missing and when he was at school, just how bad he looked. There was a significant drop in his grades, and he was becoming quieter. At first, you were right along with Keith in thinking he was over-worrying about his little sister, but something didn't seem right. 

The boy never even laid a finger on his food, saying he wasn't hungry. That was a lie. It was hard to hear at first, but since he sat so close to you, you could hear all the little rumbles his stomach made. At that time though, Sherry's rumors hadn't wiggle themselves into your ears, so you only thought he was still sick. Her words would find their way back to you in the future, though. 

"I think he's the murderer," Sherry says to you one day. She and a few other friends of you are hanging out at your house, getting ready for a game night. She already had a little too much to drink, so at first, you disregarded this rumor. You have no idea why she brought up that randomly in the first place. You shouldn't have ignored her expression and written it off as being drunk. 

She brought it up to you again, cornering you in the empty boy's locker room. 

"We seriously need to bring this kid to the principal's attention!" she hisses, squeezing onto your wrist a bit too hard. "He's scaring the living hell out of me! I don't know what to do!?" 

You're sweaty, red-in-face from the work-out, but she even seems more breathless. 

"Please..." 

Tears form in the corner of her eyes, her shaking unstoppable. 

"Please I think he's going to kill me..." 

You pull her hand off of you, holding it in a tight grip. 

"Slow down and explain everything." 

She takes a deep breath and closes her eyes. She needs to control her shaking before she can tell you anything. 

"At first, it started off as a few cute love letters... But recently they started to become worse... Just look!" She shoves a red envelope in your hand, stuffed full of crap. "I'm scared he's listening to us right now... He could fit into one of the lockers no doubt!" 

Her shaking has started up again, but you quickly shut down her doubts. 

"I would have known. I've been in here the entire time." 

She still looks nervous, not really wanting to believe that. 

"Ok ok... Just please look through it..." 

Sherry pulls her grip from your hand, backing off and taking a seat on the benches. She's biting into her lip, playing with her hair as she waits for you to begin looking into it.

Your stomach lurches at the first few photos you pull out. They were all murder victims from the recent attacks. You don't want to continue looking, want to turn your head away and forget you saw those gruesome scenes. Your friend was relying on you though. She needed your help, so you push down the bile rising in your throat, and pull out the pink letter. It reads about how badly Damian wants Sherry, about how he would kill himself and everybody she loves if she didn't love him back... Though, soon the writing becomes unreadable. 

What can be read quite clearly, is the name signed at the bottom. 

_Damian Eve._

"This isn't his signature." 

As creeped out as you are, you can't let yourself panic. You can't let you believe that the little sophomore that you've come to enjoy is actually an obsessed little freak. 

"But... But... You should have seen the glare he's been giving me all day! (Y/n), he was following me! He's a sicko! We need to report him right now! Let the police handle him... I don't..." A broken sob escapes from her lips as she shakes. 

You reach out to comfort her, but the door is suddenly slammed open. There stands the boy of the topic. He has a similar red envelope in his hand, angry tears streak down his cheeks. 

"You think threatening my little sister is a funny joke!?" he shouts, storming closer to Sherry. His fist is balled up, and he's close to striking her in the face. She doesn't move. She's probably too frightened to, but that doesn't matter. You've stepped in the way, taking the blow for her. 

His fist buries itself in your stomach, but it's not a hard enough hit to knock the breath out of you.

"You need to calm down," you tell him, grabbing his wrist and dragging him away from the petrified girl. 

"Shut up! Shut up!" he yells, batting you with his other hand and uselessly tries to escape from you. "Your little sister wasn't threatened! You don't know how I feel! Sherry's a murderer! She's trying to pin the blame on me! That psychotic bitch!" 

You have to grab onto both of his hands to stop him, but he resorts to biting and headbutting. There's not only that, but Sherry has started mumbling to herself. Letting out sob after sob, and frankly, your head is starting to hurt very bad. 

"Just shut up and stop both of you!" you snap, and surprisingly, they both listen. "Let me read the letter..." It's not like Damian has much say in the matter as you practically rip the envelope from his hand. The envelope had similar contents as Sherry's, but the letter was just as he had said it was. It was Sherry threatening that Damian's little sister would be the next victim. Again, the letter becomes chicken scratch at the end. 

"We need to take these to authorities. There is obviously someone who wants both of you at each other's throats." 

Damian is wiping his eyes clear of tears, muttering something under his breath. Sherry looks like she's on the verge of collapse.

"What are we waiting for? Let's go," Damian hisses. Sherry nods, getting up to her feet. 

"If the person behind this is caught, I'll sleep all the better," she says. 

\+ + +

February creeps by slowly, but March seems to be a month that things will go much better. At least you hope it will. There were no more creepy messages to your friends from the secret sender, which was never found and written off as a sick prank... You don't think that's what it was, though. After all, according to both of them, they had both been getting those red envelopes ever since January. 

They just met their breaking points apparently. That would explain why Damian started missing so much school, and why Sherry was so quiet with her occult hobby unless she was drunk. 

The whole ordeal seemed to bring them closer... A lot closer than you expected. You hadn't meant to walk in on them making out in _YOUR_ room. After all, you didn't want to see your two friends attached at the hip and lips, making dirty noises that had been drowned out by the music blaring down below. 

Your bed has become a mess thanks to the two dumbasses on top of it. Sherry seemed quite embarrassed, but Damian only had this smug look on his. 

"Sorry," he says, not at all sorry. 

Despite that little encounter, you were glad that they seemed in much better health. In fact, the whole school seemed in better health. The doom and gloom were gone. The murderers had completely stopped as well. From what you had heard at least.

You and Charlie were also doing well. You've really never had such fun before. With her, it felt like all that anxiety and burden were lifted, if only for a few hours. You really thought you could be happy, and that things were looking up for you. 

\+ + +

"This is delicious!" Charlie mumbles, biting into the warm pastry. 

"I made it myself," you tell her, leaning your head against the palm of your hand. "So, I'm glad you like it." She smiles, breaking off a piece and holding it up to your mouth. 

"Well, you might as well try your own masterpiece," she smiles and you can't deny her. You let her feed you the piece of pastry, savoring how warm and sweet it was. How the icing melted in your mouth. Eating sweets was a rare treat for you, and you know you should have said no to her, but you found that she was just too charming to resist. 

She's about to feed you another bite, but your phone ringing brings your attention to that instead. Jack is calling. 

You pick the phone up, bringing it up to your ear. 

"Hello?" 

"Oh god, (Y/n), it's fucking horrible!" 

You can hear your friend's voice breaking into sobs that he tries to keep in. Your gut is twisting in fear, but you have to keep it in check. 

"What happened?" 

"Sherry... She attempted to kill herself..." He doesn't finish his sentence, letting out a cry. You notice how worried Charlie is becoming and realize you've let your happy expression crack. Your brows have become furrowed and you're starting to shake involuntarily.

"Jack... Jack, I need you to calm down... Please explain to me what happened. Or do you want me to come over?" 

"I'm at the hospital right now. Keith and Damian are here, but we're not allowed to see... She had gotten more of those horrible letters. They were all piled up underneath her bed. Her mom is taking them to the police... I really hope they do something about it this time..." You let him take a small break, trying to ignore the fear worming itself into his mind and heart. "The doctors say she'll be okay, but we have no idea what drove her to this... I..." 

You don't remember breaking down. You don't remember dropping your phone to the ground, stumbling and having to hold onto the wall for support as your legs started to feel like jelly. Tears burn down your cheeks, and finally, this facade you put on falls apart. 

You hadn't wanted to worry Charlie, but you're scared you did that. When she helps you over to the couch, you're scared she's going to ask what happened. You're scared you won't be able to tell her what happened. 

She doesn't, though. 

She lets you rest against her, holding you close. She lets you cry into her shoulder, clinging onto her like a pathetic child. You're glad your parents aren't here to see this. They wouldn't like their only son being this weak. They would have told you that they raised you better. 

You don't recall any of this when you wake up the next morning. 

You're cuddled up next to Charlie, who's still sleeping peacefully. You don't move in fear of waking her up. You just watch her sleeping features, unable to help the smile spread across your face. 

The events of last night haven't registered in your mind at the moment, but that's good. You wouldn't have wanted to ruin such a peaceful time.

You stay like that for a while until she wakes up. She gives you a smile, leaning over and kissing you. 

"We should have gotten ready for school a long time ago..." she mumbles. 

"I know, but I'd rather stay here with you." 

You wrap your arms around her, bringing her even closer and snuggling your face into her neck. She's laughing, pushing your face away from her as you start to pepper her with kisses. That's how you spend the rest of your morning, only lazily slipping out of bed when your stomach rumbles. 

"I'll just come up with an excuse," you tell her when she brings up her concerns about school again, "I'm sure they would understand..." Your mind races back to the conversation with Jack. You hadn't checked your phone all morning, but you're sure it's blown up. Either with concern or question. You really don't have the mental capacity to deal with it right now, though. 

You spend the whole day with Charlie, cooped up in her house until it's time for her to leave. 

The next day is when you visit Sherry. 

\+ + + 

She smiles at you, spooning the food into her mouth. 

"Nice flowers, asshole." 

"It's good to see you too, dumbass." 

You two break off laughing until your stomach hurts. 

"Seriously, it's good to see you're doing better..." He lays the flowers on the table. 

"It's good to be better. I honestly don't know what happened or why I did. I overheard them talking that there was a giant... influx of serotonin in my brain or something. I don't really remember much..." 

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," you tell her, gently grabbing her hand. 

"I might as well." 

You sit there and talk for hours, four other guests come stomping in. Damian in the lead, teddy bear, and card in hand. You learned from your little talk that he had visited from noon until he was kicked out yesterday.

"We brought you stuff!" he announces unnecessarily. 

"I'm not going to have enough room with all this stuff you keep gifting me," she teases him, but he merely shakes it off. 

"Sorry I didn't visit yesterday," Charlie says, taking a seat next to you. 

Sherry shrugs it off and says, "(Y/n) filled me in on stuff, so I get it. It must have been hard on you all, and I'm sorry..." 

She's instantly reassured that this wasn't her fault. Her green eyes are bright, and her face is instantly flushed red as Damian gives her a big kiss. 

"I'm just glad you're okay..." the dark-haired boy whispers to her.

\+ + + (P.O.V Shift) + + +

"You weren't supposed to live," Damian mumbles. He's sitting on top of the Shery's chest, knees pinning her arms against her bed. "You were supposed to die, but you didn't! And now I have to get my hands dirty again!"

His hands are wrap around her throat, thumbs pressing into flesh. The girl is struggling, clawing at the boy's arms. She's screaming and crying, but nobody is going to hear her. The music is blaring and her parents left her home by herself. She had left herself open for this attack. 

Sherry certainly hadn't expected a knock at the window. 

She was happy to see it was him, though. She let him in, and they instantly embraced each other. His mouth on her neck. Her hands in his hair. It wasn't long before they found themselves back onto her bed. She's laughing and smiling, but it wasn't for long. 

"Did you see how happy (Y/n) was when he saw that you lived? I was jealous. I wanted him to look that happy at me, but no! You had to ruin that! I was supposed to be there to comfort him! He was supposed to be there to comfort me! I've been holding all this pent up rage ever since you got out of that hospital!" He's rambling, hardly realizing that he's punctured two larges holes into her neck, that blood is gushing out and covering his hands. 

Blood is foaming at her mouth, and now she's struggling wildly. He's not going to let her live. He's going to watch her suffer, laugh as the light drains from her eyes. He's going to burn this image into his mind. 

"But that's okay! I can correct your fucking mistake. Summer is in a week! You won't get to see it. That's too bad... I guess I have to kill a little more." 

His clawed fingers dig into her flesh, his fanged teeth tear at her throat. He rips her apart like every one of his other victims until there's no shine left in those eyes. He's humming, satisfied at his handiwork, and, wrapping his limbs around her mangled corpse and holding her close. 

"I'm not going to lie... You were very fun, but (Y/n) is special. He's so very intoxicating... I can't help it. His scent, his eyes, his personality, his everything gets me fired up... So, no hard feelings right?" 

He kisses her forehead, brushing the blood-soaked hair from her face. 

"You won't be alone for much longer, though. I have plans for all of you... I want (Y/n) to be completely mine. Mine to play with. Mine to hurt. Mine." 

\+ + + 

With (Y/n) so close to him, he could smell his cologne. It smelled expensive and tickled Damian's nose, but beneath that, there was _his_ scent. He squeezes his arms around him tighter, burying his face into his neck until his forced sobs were quieted. 

They were at Sherry's funeral. Damian almost skipped the whole thing, just to show how devasted he would have been, but (Y/n) was too sharp for that. He might have expected something was up. Or maybe he wouldn't. Maybe he was giving (Y/n) too much credit, because as much as he loved the boy, he was still oblivious. 

All that they knew was that on the Tuesday of May 19th, Sherry Jones was found mangled and choked in her own room. It was the same signature as the elementary kids' killings. The murderer was back, and everybody was on edge. 

\+ + +

After the funeral, Damian sat in the living room, humming away as he watches the news. His mother sat next to him, shaking to the bone. 

"You killed her," she whispers.

He grins, looking over at her. 

"Mother, I think you've been listening to Father too much. I'm harmless. Carolina knows this. Speaking of my adorable little sister... When am I going to be able to see her again? You've hidden her away from me ever since Sherry was discharged from the hospital... Are you scared that she might tell me something bad... That I might hurt someone else? You're going to kill the poor girl." 

His mother drops the bowl in her lap, spilling the hot soup everywhere. It seems her anxiety had gotten the better of her, as her mind takes time to register the pain. Damian's there to help, though. After all, he's such a good son! 

"Father won't be happy!" he chirps, grabbing napkins and helping his mother clean up the mess. 

"Please..." she pushes his hand away, "Leave me alone." She looks like she's going to get sick at any moment. 

"Oh alright! I have to go study for exams anyways!" He leaps up from the couch, but before he gets very far, he turns back to his mother. "Oh, and can you get rid of those red envelopes and pink paper? The cute idea I had for them didn't exactly work, and I don't really like being reminded of my failures." 

She doesn't show that she heard him.


	6. The Start of Summer

"A lot has happened this year, hasn't it," the boy says, tilting his head as he smiles at you. 

"Yeah..." Your stomach is churning, and you don't think you could eat the food laid out before you. Though Kyle is helping himself to your fries, so you don't think you need to worry. 

"How are you holding up?"

"Better. I have to thank the therapist my mom got me." 

You take a sip out of your comfort drink, trying to avoid his sharp green eyes. Kyle was always good at studying people. He was regularly exceptional at everything, in fact.

"Without her, I think I might have... Broke under the pressure." 

You don't understand why you're telling Kyle this. It's not like you two are friends anymore, but maybe it's because he's older than you? You just feel like you can trust, even though your insides are burning in jealousy every time you think about him. 

"I'm glad you're doing better. I know we haven't talked much since your freshman year, but I do care about you. After all, you were supposed to beat me at everything I do..." 

"You still remember that stupid little rant...? That's embarrassing." 

"Of course! Little [14/15] year old you, pointing at me and declaring angrily at the end of that school year that I was going to lose my place as the student council president. About how every finale and grade you make will be better than mine." 

He's laughing, a kind smile on his face. It was the same expression he had when you boldly declared you would be better than him. 

"And you smiled and laughed at me saying 'good luck'... I was so frustrated..." 

You let out a laugh, accidentally inhaling too much air and snorting loudly. An embarrassed look quickly crosses your face, quieting your laughter as you shove the straw in between your lips. It felt like it's been a while since you've genuinely laughed like that. It was... pleasant. 

"You look much better with a smile on your face." 

Your embarrassment only deepened at Kyle's words. You set down the cup, shoving a fry into your mouth. Well, since you're here, you might as well eat what the older boy is trying to provide you. 

"Oh! Here." 

He slides a pamphlet across the table, still having that same smile on his face. 

"It's for the college I'm applying to. Another chance of beating me if you think you're up for the challenge." 

You watch as he leans his chin against the palm of his hand. His blonde hair is falling into his face, his smooth fingers brushing against your fingers as you take the pamphlet from him. 

There's a glint in those green eyes. 

"I still have another year, but I'll think about it. Just don't get too comfortable at your new college." 

Your phone suddenly dings, stopping whatever Kyle was about to say. You take a glance at it, noticing it was a text from Jack. 

_'We should hang out. Just us two. We haven't done it in a while :)'_

Kyle is munching on a fry, watching as you hesitate to respond. 

"You should hang out with your friends. God only knows how short life is." 

You glance up at him and find him staring out the window, still munching on a cheese fry. 

"I wouldn't want to ditch you, though," you mumble. 

Your mind flashes back to all the elementary children who wouldn't be enjoying their summer. Who wouldn't be growing up, and doing what they love. It was six children in all, and that was six families who would still be feeling their loss. Not only that, but there was Sherry. 

You inhale sharply, feeling the emotions come bubbling back up. The only girl in a family of five boys and a very traditional family. She had to suck up a lot to get where she was in her family, only for all of it to go down the drain. 

"It's okay if I do, right? No hard feelings?" 

"Of course. I'll see you later, (L/n)." 

"Bye, Moralis." 

You text Jack back, asking him where to meet up as you leave the little diner. 

\+ + +

Damian lets out a pained gasp, digging his fingers into the cloth of his shirt. He had been able to hold out for until school ended, but no longer could his body resist. The forbidden flesh and blood of Sherry was burning through his insides. 

He knew it had been a bad idea. After what those horrible children did to his body, he should have known to eat another human so starved like this would only make it worse. He just couldn't resist it. 

Sherry had looked so amazing when she died. She tasted even better. He feels the drool dripping down the side of his mouth. The heat of his fever only strengthened with the heat of his humiliation. Drooling over a schoolgirl like he was some perverted weirdo! He quickly wipes off his mouth, glaring up at the ceiling. 

If only his parents would allow him to see Carolina. She would definitely be able to nurse him back to health. Just a drop of her blood would do miracles for him! They don't, though. They hide her from him! 

His nails tear through the cloth, as another spasm of pain rips through his small body. 

If he couldn't eat human food nor be able to eat humans themselves, what was he supposed to? Were his parents really going to let him starve?! They'd never do that to him surely. They're his parents. They're supposed to protect him and raise him. 

His mind instantly jumps to (Y/n). He was always around to help Damian. To grieve with him and hold him close. (Y/n) would help the starving boy. He'd offer his body right up on a plate if he knew how badly he was suffering right now. 

He might have at least if it wasn't for that godforsaken Charlie. If it wasn't for her pathetic whining and sickening smiles towards (Y/n). She was always hogging up all the pretty boy's attention! 

_It was infuriating!_

(Y/n) always had your gaze on her. Those beautiful (e/c) eyes only focused on her. 

_When will (Y/n) finally look at me like that?_ Damian thinks. 

He would just have to get rid of her. That was the only option. 

Damian looks over at the picture frame on his desk. It was the entire family as he knew them. Mother with a scared look in her eyes, a tremble on her frozen lips. Father with murderous expression and his hands dangerously close to his son's neck. Only Carolina and Damian looked truly happy in that photo, as they did all their family photos. 

They would have to go next. It was a thought that depressed him very much. After all, his family was so entertaining! He would surely be bored after they're gone, but he has (Y/n). That would make up for the boredom tenfold... 

He inhales sharply, sitting up on his bed and letting his hair fall into his sweaty face. If he's going to get rid of Charlie, he's going to have to start planning. He will have to force down this sickness. Hold it back. At least he'll be doing it out of his _"love"_ for his dear (Y/n). 

_'Count yourself lucky, (Y/N), I'm going to make your life as interesting as you've made mine.'_


	7. Anxiety and Doubt

"Hey!" 

Charlie looks away from her sibling, meeting those cold green eyes of the sophomore. 

"Out with your siblings too? Enjoying yourself?" 

He plops down next to her, apparently not noticing how uncomfortable Charlie was becoming. 

"I'm finally well enough to leave the house," he laughs, scratching his cheek. "I'm just glad that whatever I had wasn't able to spread... I'm sure the doctors told me, but I don't remember what it was called!" He leans back, looking up at the sky. 

Charlie pulls at her hair nervously, keeping her eyes on the boy. Despite how many times they were near each other, they've never interacted as friends. She's sure if it wasn't for (Y/n), she wouldn't even know who this boy is. 

"Are you going to pass school? You've missed quite a few days." 

"Yup! Though I'm going to have to go to summer school for a few weeks to make it up. They're giving me a second chance because of my good grades!" 

They lapse into silence, and Charlie was more content with watching her siblings. 

"How are you holding up?" 

"I didn't know Sherry as well as you or even (Y/n) did, but I think I really did love her. After all, we were both being harassed by the murderer behind these crimes... And I think that drew us closer. And then she died..." 

Out of the corner of her eyes, she can see him shaking. She can hear the hic in his voice as he tries to keep it under control. 

"Have the police found out anything?" 

"They're trying, but nothing has come up... Do you think I'll be next?" 

His face is suddenly so close to hers, eyes wide in wild desperation for comfort. 

"Do you think I'm going to die, Charlie? The murderer sent me those letters too, you know? I'm going to be next, aren't I?" His nails are digging into his thighs. Sweat is dripping from every pore in his body, and she's sure it isn't from the heat.

"No! No! The police must surely have taken that happening into consideration. You'll be fine. They'll protect you."

"I don't know... They can't always be around to protect me, can they? What's worse is in a few weeks I'll be alone. My parents wanted to take my little sister to see some sights. I told them I would stay behind and watch the pets, but... I don't think I can do it." 

He starts going into a ramble, saying how every time he closes his eyes he feels as if there's someone outside his window. How it feels like someone is watching his every move. He tells Charlie that he's suffered from sleepless nights even with people inside the house. Every word that spills from the younger boy's mouth makes her feel worse. 

She knows what it's like to feel intense paranoia and anxiety. She's suffered from it ever since the accident. Charlie would never want someone else to live with the same pain as she does. 

"Hey... Breathe." She grabs his shoulders, making him turn her way. "Breath in, and out and don't stop. That sicko is going to be caught. He's not going to hurt you or anyone else. Ok?" Her voice is gentle yet stern. Though she's worried that won't be enough to at least calm the boy down. God knows she's needed more than just a few words to calm her down more than often.

It seems to do the trick despite her worry. 

"I... Do you really think so?" 

Charlie nods her head, letting go of his shoulders. 

"If it would make you feel better... I can stay with you while your parents are away." 

"Would you really do that for me?" 

Charlie hesitates. Was this really a good idea? Seeds of doubt have been stowed into her head months ago, but she doesn't know if it's right to let them bloom or to tear them out. 

"Of course." 

There's no reason she should be nervous around him. Damian was a smart kid who had done nothing wrong. 

The dark-haired boy lets out a sigh of relief, throwing his arms around Charlie's neck. "Thank you so much!" he whispers, embracing her tightly. 

"Yeah... No problem," she says, not moving her arms to hug him back. 

\+ + + + + + + + + + 

\- Three Weeks Later - 

Charlie held your hand as you two talked and talked. It didn't matter what you two were talking about, it was just nice to get out and about together. Everything has been so dark lately, and Charlie was one of the few lights in your life. 

"Even with summer right around the corner, these spring showers aren't clearing up," she laughs, shivering and moving closer to you. The umbrella only kept so much rain off. 

"Yeah. We should have planned this date much better." 

She's still laughing, nodding her head in agreement. Her laughter dies down, and she leans her head against your shoulder. 

"I don't mind it. Even if it's pouring, I'm just glad to be with you."

You think of yourself as not an easily embarrassed person, but somehow Charlie's words set your ears and cheeks burning red. 

"I'll make sure the next date is even better." 

"I sure you will next time." 

Your answer is cut short when her phone rings. She gives you an apologetic look before answering. Her expression becomes blank, unreadable before concern replaces it. 

"Can... Can we hang out later?" she asks, hanging up and pushing the phone into her pocket. "Something came up... A promise." 

"Of course, do you want me to walk you to your destination?" 

"No you don't have to," Charlie mumbles. She's pulling an extra umbrella from her bag, smiling up at you. "But I appreciate the offer." 

You lean down, kissing her. She kisses back, but the contact is too short for your liking. Charlie is walking away, her pace brisk and quick. 

\+ + +

Charlie stops outside of Damian's house, her heart pounding in her chest. The rain had only gotten heavier, thunder booming in the sky. That didn't concern her as much as what was in the house. 

Her mind keeps replaying the poor boy's broken sobs. 

_'I'm... I can't... Charlie! Charlie... Charlie... I can't breathe. My chest hurts. Everything hurts. I think I'm sick again. Help. Please.'_

She ignored the small voice in her mind that told her something was wrong. That something was going to happen to her when she stepped into that house. 

After all, those seeds of doubt were blooming into weeds, and she was never very good at gardening. 


	8. I Can Work With This

As the teen girl approaches the house, she can see that the door was opened. Forced open by the looks of it. She's quick to run in, shouting Damina's name. Her only answer is silence. Charlie panics. She's never been here before! She doesn't know where anything is! 

"Charlie...?" a voice calls from up the stairs. "Charlie, I'm up... Here!" 

Damian's voice sounds shy of another breakdown, so she doesn't sit there and play with her thumbs. 

"Are you ok?" she asks, her voice echoing throughout the semi-empty house. "Where are you?" 

"The room at the end of the hallway... The door is open!" Damian calls back. 

As Charlies rushes to said room, she tries to ignore how messed up the house looks. A vase had been pushed over, shattered against the floor. That was nothing compared to the state of the living room when she had run through it. Whatever happened, it wasn't great. 

"Hey..." she slows her pace, walking into the room. She doesn't see the boy or hear him anymore. Everything is deathly silent. Well, besides the door slamming behind her. 

"Huh!?" 

"I was so scared... Walking out in the rain by myself... It felt like someone was following... I panicked... My mind went into overdrive..." 

She turns around, backing up. The tone of that voice doesn't match the Cheshire grin on his face. 

"I raced home... I locked the doors... God, Charlie... Please get here soon... I think I'm going to die! I called the police, but... But I don't think they're going to get here in time..." 

Her voice flees her as she stumbles away from the boy. In one hand, he holds a knife and, with the other, he's locking the door. 

"I'm a good actor, right? I actually made you believe I was in danger!" Damian bursts out into a laugh that makes Charlie break out with cold sweat. 

"Or maybe it's all working out into my favor." 

Her mind doesn't process the knife being shoved into her abdomen. All her nerves kick in instantly, her flight or fight response working. Adrenaline pumps through her veins, but even with all this, she doesn't seem to be able to overpower the much smaller boy. The knife punctures her liver. "You're going to die soon, Charlie, so die with some grace ok?" 

She's still struggling, trying to scream for help, but his hand is clamped over her mouth. "I said to die with some grace. Don't go out screaming and crying. It's unsightly." 

He's lowering her to the ground, humming a soothing melody. It does little to nothing to calm her down. He yanks the knife from her body, setting it aside. 

"Ok, I'm going to pretend to try and save your life ok? I just need some of your blood for the next part of my plan." 

Her response is just a gurgle of noise. 

"Perfect!" 

\+ + + 

Damian limps up the stairs, making sure to press his bloody handprints against the wall. He really hadn't expected to be followed home today. 

' _I guess it's a good thing my specialty is pissing people off.'_

He could make this work. He could make up a story on why he had a corpse and a half in his kitchen. On why a girl was bleeding out in his room. He could make this all work out. 

He walks back into the room, looking at the girl who was still struggling to live. Damian can't help but laugh. Mortals always clung onto life so pitifully. That's why it was so fun watching them! 

"Everything has been set up," he tells her. 

He sits next to her, laying the knife beside them. He grabs her by underneath her arms, pulling her onto his lap. 

"You'll get to see me act one more time... What a special treat for you!" 

He dials 911 with the phone he brought with him, pressing it up against his ear and smiling down at her. A woman on the other side answers. 

_"Hello what's your emergency?"_

He inhales shakily, mimicking that of a sobbing person. 

"There's... There's been a break-in!" 

\+ + + 

When you saw Damian again, it was at the hospital. You were told by the doctors that he seemed to have gone into a sort of catatonic state. He wasn't even able to go to the trial to testify against the two teen boys who broke into his house when the time had come. 

All you could do was watch the unresponsive boy. Jack was with you. He was with you at Sherry's funeral. At Charlie's funeral. He had been with you through this whole ordeal. You just hoped he wouldn't be with through another funeral. 

\+ + + 

\- Mid-July - 

Today would be the first day you'll visit Damian ever since he was discharged from the hospital. Today you would be stepping into the house where your girlfriend had died. 

That's probably why you stayed away for so long. So you didn't have to be reminded of her. Your therapist didn't much like the idea, but you wanted to see him. You had to. 

You knock on the door. Your hands start shaking and you start to wonder if you should turn back. You don't get a chance to as the door is opened and you're greeted by a slightly disheveled Damian. 

"Oh! (Y/N)!" he shouts, wrapping his arms around him and hugging him. That was a new type of greeting. 

"Hey," you simply respond. 

He starts to pull you inside, but you stop him. 

"I... I don't want to hang out. I just came to tell you something." 

Damian notices the way your tone shifts. He doesn't like it at all. 

"What is it?" 

"I don't want to be friends with you anymore." 

The boy doesn't respond, only stares up at you. A blank, unreadable expression replaces his smile. 

"It's not your fault or anything, but this is my last year. I really need to try harder. But relationships get in the way of that. I'm aiming for one of the best colleges out there, so I hope you understand." 

Damian tilts his head to the side, smiling at you. It's eerie and instantly makes you uncomfortable. 

"No, it's fine! I get it. Don't worry about me and just focus on school!" 

He's shoving you out, slamming the door in your face. You feel bad, of course, but what your parents told you was right. And so was Jack. And Sherry. All of them were right in some way or another.

Damian was nothing but bad luck. Just look at all the stuff that happened ever since he came here. You weren't superstitious. You just... Have a bad feeling about him. 

So, you turn your back on the house. You leave. There's no point in looking back now. What has been said has been said. 

\+ + +

Damian had a complete meltdown. Sliding down the door, his chest rising and falling in crazy laughter. So much damn planning had gone to waste! Down the drain! 

He digs his nails into the sides of his face, trying to keep the tears of frustration at bay. He had gone through so many lengths to keep his tracks clean. He had eaten so much goddamn food that it made him sick to the point he could barely move! And for what?! Some fucking ungrateful human!?

_What a sick joke!_

He lets out another fit of giggles, droplets of blood rolling down his face. 

_(Y/N)... (Y/N)..._ The name was like a song to him. Always playing in his head. Always on the tip of his tongue. 

Damian lets his hands drop to his side, head leaning against his shoulder. He could work this. He could bring something out of the ashes of this disaster. It wouldn't be too hard. Sooner or later, that human would be underneath his thumb. Ready for him to squash like a bug once he was bored. 

Honestly, Damian didn't care about your feelings. He didn't care about your well-being. He didn't even have any romantic interest in you. You were only a plaything for him. 

Something to discard once you were broken or he was bored...

The boy gets up, walking to his bedroom. 

He wasn't going to let it like this. Not if he could do something about it. 

After all, he hadn't threatened the bleeding out teen to confess to something he hadn't done. He hadn't suffered through countless nights of pure agony for no reason. He hadn't killed innocents for no reason! 

Damian did it all for you. _You_ were a perfect reason.


	9. A Deal With The Devil

Writer's Note: Thank's for getting this far! This chapter is a bit under edited than most. I'll go back through and edit it one day. Maybe. Haha.

\+ + + 

Damian grins, feet kicked up onto the table. 

"Love what you did with the place," he says, looking around the kitchen. He doesn't seem at all concerned for the pistol pointed at his head. 

"Really, though, I'm so happy that you did all this for me!" 

Blood trickles down the side of his face, his nose bent out of shape. It's best to not even get started on the state of his hands.

"I feel honored!" 

He grins, tipping his head to the side and laughs. Any moment a bullet could rip through his skull, but he couldn't care about that. All of his focus was on the boy about to blow out his brains. 

"Well, boy... Are you going to say anything? Or keep me anticipating in silence?" 

The teen boy is shaking, his teeth chattering against each other as he glares down at the smaller boy. 

" _What are you?"_ Jack asks.

_The teen hadn't wanted his life to change that night. He just wanted to go home. Of course, Lady Luck wasn't in his favor as he had coward against the car._

_Jack wanted to dig himself into the ground and hide there forever. Whatever was on the other side of this car wasn't human. He didn't know what it was, but his mind could hardly comprehend what was happening._

_The beast lets out a low growl, bones snapping in its teeth._

_"Are you just going to sit there and watch me, boy? Listen as I tear apart an innocent little kid? What a shitty human being you are. Watching a kid die and doing nothing."_

_The thing bursts out laughing, claws scraping against the metal of the car._

_"You have ten seconds to run."_

_The boy is up, sprinting down the street..._

Jack tries to shake off the memory, feeling his stomach churn. His mind had stopped working, he didn't even remember waking up in his bed and clutching onto a note that read _'Damian is the monster'._ He hadn't told anybody, thought nobody would believe him. He knew who was behind all the murders, not like the boy was going to let him forget it. 

_"Did you know Sherry was even more gorgeous with her throat torn out?"_

_"Charlie hardly made a peep... But oh boy did she struggle like a pig at slaughter."_

Countless sleepless nights and pouring over books about mythical creatures and supernatural monsters had finally led him to this point in time. 

"You mean you don't already know? I'm heartbroken! After all, you obsessed over me for the rest of the school year! Shame on you! You are an evil and unkind human, Jack! At least I did my research on you!" 

"You didn't answer my question! What are you." 

The creature lets out a groan, tipping his head to the side. 

"You're so pushy! But else would I expect! Inviting me over, bashing my head in, tying me up, and pointing a gun at me! What decency would I expect from such a person like you!" 

Jack cringes away from the rambling boy, who's voice gets increasingly more annoying by the moment. This whole idea on been put together so quickly, he really hadn't thought it through. But he wasn't stupid. Everything was going a bit too smoothly. 

"You still haven't answered the question..." 

"Jokes on you, boy, I can't! I don't even know the answer to that!" He bursts out laughing, leaning back into the chair, "So be a good child and really do tell me when you figure out. I've been dying to know." 

"What... I... What does that mean?"

"Exactly as you heard it." 

He's rocking back and forth, and if he's not too careful he'll tip over. 

"Don't give me that look. I would never lie to you. Now come and sit down. Give your legs a break. Looks like they'll give out any moment!"

Jack knows he's not wrong, but he feels rooted to his spot. Like if he takes his eyes off Damian for one moment, he'll be the next victim.

"Hey, I get it... You're scared. Terrified. But I'm harmless... After all, I have plans for you. So take a seat and listen to this offer I'm gonna propose for you." 

He doesn't know why he gives, but he's sitting on the other side of the table. Fingers nervously playing with the trigger. One wrong move from the thing across him, and he might blow. 

"What's... This deal you're talking about?" 

Damian stomps his feet against the ground, nails tapping against the table. It takes Jack a full minute to realize the rope lays in ruins on the table. Damian only stares at him, relishing the moments as fear overtakes the teen's features. Twisting his expression, letting every nerve in his body go into overdrive. 

' _Humans are such cute things.'_

Somehow managing to ground himself, Jack steadies his breathing. He should have known flimsy ropes weren't going to work. He shouldn't let it scare him. 

Damian picks at his teeth, gazing at the boy. 

"Stop staring and just tell me!" Jack snaps, trying to keep his volume at a controlled level.

"Oh, I will. I'm just trying to make you as uncomfortable as I can!" the creature laughs again, "But that's not very nice of me. After all, you've been such a grand host!" His laughter has died down to a quiet chuckle, though, Jack can't tell what is at all funny.

"Well, you see... This little game I've been playing has gotten a bit... Boring? You can only have so much fun with teens after all, but I wanna make it fun! And you can help me with that!" 

Jack wants to retort. He wants to tell him that he doesn't want to play whatever sick shit this was. 

"You didn't go to the cops because they wouldn't believe you right? Good move. For me, at least!" Damian looks like he's going to go into another fit of laughter, but he doesn't. Instead, his expression is suddenly serious. 

"My goal is to ruin (Y/N) (L/N)'s life. He's the image of perfection, he strives to be best... And I want to break his spirit. I want to watch the horror on his face when he realizes that everything he worked towards was completely useless! That nothing he slaved over was worth it... But that's not the only reason..." 

Jack wants to puke. He doesn't know what he's gotten himself in. All the shit spewing from that fucker's mouth makes him cringe, makes him angry, makes him want to hide in fear. And apparently, he wasn't done.

"His blood. Flesh. Life. It's intoxicating! Sometimes, I wanna hold him close... Keep his beating heart against me and feel all that life swarming inside of him... Other times..." 

Those same nails that had been picking at inhumanly sharp teeth are digging into the table. 

"I wanna tear him apart." 

The table splinters underneath his grip.

Jack jumps up from his chair, adrenaline coursing through his veins. He fires twice, noise bouncing off the walls. 

He can hear his heart beating, staring at the figure before him. Blood is blossoming through Damian's shirt. 

"Wow, if I had been any slower I would have had two bullet wounds." 

The wall behind Damian hadn't a small bullet hole through it. 

"This really puts a damper on my plans. Going to the hospital so soon after I was released. Really how much fake trauma can I pretend before I'm sent to a mental ward?" 

He's standing up, careful with his bleeding arm. 

"Somebody heard that. Somebody is going to contact the police, so we better be quick... Here's the deal, kid, I'm going to give you the whole school year to figure out three of my weaknesses. Just three. Simple. During that time, I won't murder anybody. Hell, I'll even avoid (Y/N) to an extent. And if you figure out my three weaknesses, I'll leave. Hit the road. Bye-bye, Damian." 

He holds out his hand, grinning at Jack. It's a lot to take in, so the teen just stares. 

"Two things... What if I lose? And no! I can't just accept you leaving! You'll go out to murder more innocent people!" 

Damian's grin is faltering a little, his shoulder trying to relax. 

"If you lose, you kill yourself and I get to continue my little game... Fine. I'll sweeten the pot more to your favor. If you win, I'll turn myself in. I'll reveal to the government that I am not... Human... And that'll stop my killing spree forever. But only if you win." 

His voice started sounding strained towards the end, his eyes unfocusing and focusing back on Jack. 

The teen realizes how stupid this is, that he shouldn't take the hand, but he does anyways. Anything to stop this monster. 

"We'd better hurry before the police come... I'm good at making things look like an accident." 


	10. Jack's trying his best

"Did Damian get involved with another break-in?" (Y/n) asks, leaning on the bench. 

"Ah... Nope." 

Jack looks down at his feet. The weight that he'd been holding on his shoulders had tripled. _Quadrupled_ even. 

His hands were clammy, and he had broken out into cold sweat that didn't seem to want to go away. 

"Well? What happened? Why did you call me out here?" 

Jack wants to tell him. God, he wishes he could just tell him about everything he's seen. Maybe he could tell him. 

"I... There's something wrong with him," he blurts out. 

(Y/N) doesn't seem impressed by his little outburst, though. He lifts an eyebrow, lips pursing as he did when Sherry was on her usual rants about some alien bullshit. 

"You sound like Sherry, and that's never a good thing."

Despite how Jack's heart twists at the mention of the girl's name, he forces out a small chuckle. 

"Yeah. You're right, but..." 

The teen trails off, kicking his feet back and forth. 

"When Damian broke into my house looking for help... He was bleeding from the head. Nose broken. What was he doing that he needed to hide? It's suspicious." 

"You think he's involved in shady shit?" 

"Maybe...?" 

(Y/N) shrugs his shoulders, getting up off the bench. He seems much colder now, more... Something else that Jack couldn't put his finger on. 

"So what? It's not like I know the boy personally. If he's up to something like that he's going to get what he deserves. Thank you for inviting me out, but I need to get back to work." 

"But..." Jack wants to continue, but (Y/N) is stopping him.

"We can talk more later. School is starting in a few weeks so you better start fixing up your sleep schedule." 

He's walking away, waving his hand at Jack.

"Yeah. Whatever, _Mom,"_ Jack mumbles, but apparently it's loud enough for his friend to hear as (Y/N) starts laughing. The boy sighs, smiling anyways as he crosses his arms. He knows how bad this situation is. He knows this is no time to be laughing and smiling, but something about this whole situation is funny. 

This almost seems like something out of comic he's read before. That's never a good thing. 

\+ + +

"If you keep going to the hospital don't you think they're going to figure out?" Damian's mother is whispering shakily. 

His reply is a cheery one, head tilted to the side as he says, "Nope! I already planned for stuff like this to happen ages ago! It might surprise you, but my blood can do many things! Like for instance... Mimic another person's DNA! Or even mix two and create a whole new one. Right now, they have Damian Eve's blood in the records." 

It was a bit of ramble, but he always enjoys explaining these things to his meek little mother. She wouldn't have to worry if he did so. 

"Oh." 

She doesn't seem to relax upon hearing the information, though. It confuses Damian quite a bit. 

"Do you want me to be caught?" 

He leans forwards, large _red_ eyes boring into her skull. Trying to get her to look at him. She keeps her eyes on the road. For now. 

"No! No! No!" she says hurriedly, hands starting to shake, "I don't want you to get caught! You're my son! My beautiful son! I promised to protect you... So... So..." She's trying to steady herself, probably expecting to bet hit or something. It makes Damian scowl because he's told her many times he wasn't like _Father._ That he wasn't going _to abuse_ her as he does. 

"Ok, I believe you." 

He turns that scowl in a happy smile, hoping it'll calm her down. 

"May I call Carolina? I'm starrrving!" 

Lilith nods her head but doesn't say anything. She's starting to look a little green in the face. Damian searches through her purse until she finds her phone, dialing the home and waiting for an answer. 

"Who's this?" comes a gruff answer. 

"Honey, it's me," Damian says, his voice mimicking his mother's perfectly, "Can... Can you give the phone to Carolina? She wanted an update on Damian." He makes sure his voice is extra shaky when saying his name, just how she says it. 

"And how do I know that this isn't that little blood-sucking bitch?" 

Damian rolls his eyes, before uttering his mother's and father's secret code word. He prides himself on knowing it by heart. 

"Carolina! It's Mommy!" he hears his father shout. 

Soon the phone is passed, and that drunk is probably back on the couch.

"Mommy?" 

"Wrong!" Damian says, his voice back to normal. 

"Damian!" Carolina squeals from the other end. They haven't seen each other in a while, let alone talk to each other, so she was probably excited. No. Not probably. Definitely. 

"How are you?" he asks.

"I'm great! Grandma didn't want us to come home yet, but we had to. I really wish I got to see you when I got home..." 

"That's OK! I'll tuck you into bed when I get home if you're not already in bed." 

They continue to talk and Lilith almost relaxes. _Almost._ Because no matter how much Damian talks or looks like a human, no matter how it feels like he actually cares about him, he doesn't. He isn't human. He only sees them as food. That's why they must keep their daughter away from him. They already made the mistake of letting her utter a command to this vile creature... Multiple times. How many people died because of her phrasing? Because of him taking commands without much direction? She squeezes onto the driving wheel, inhaling. 

"So, Carolina, I was wondering if I could eat?" 

"Of course you can? I don't understand why you always ask me, bro, because nobody else older siblings ask them if they can eat." 

"Well, this is because you're special. This a special thing we do."

"You're a weirdo," she laughs, "But eat until your full!" 

"I know I know... But thanks!" Damian laughs. 

That barrier in his body and mind is lifting. The one where if he ate _anything_ besides Carolina's blood he would get sick is gone. At least for now. 

"Hey! Who are you talking to?" his father yells, scathing voice so clear even from the other side of the phone.

"Damian why-" 

The call hangs up, but it's too late. Damian grabs one of the bags, opening his mouth before digging his fangs into the plastic and popping it. Sure stealing donations was bad, but it was his mother's idea. 

_'It's better than drinking Carolina's blood...'_ she had reasoned when she came up with the idea. The black-haired boy didn't really care if he got to eat. After all, he was allowed to eat until he was full. 

\+ + + 

Today was the first day of school. Bright-eyed freshmen, tired and slumped seniors all entered the school. 

(Y/N) found his usual spot with his friends at breakfast. There was Keith, Jack, Nick and... Three were missing... Just thinking about the girls made his stomach upset. Not so much when thinking about Damian, as the boy was nowhere to be seen. 

_'Late on the first day again?'_ (Y/N) thinks, smiling a little. 

The more he thinks about it, the more he wishes he didn't cut the younger boy out of his life. Sure he was a walking bad omen, but he had enjoyed his company. He found his antics funny, he found him charming and just generally fun to hang around with... But it's not like he wasn't the only one he had cut out of his life. There were all his other friends. 

He had even told them he was focusing more on schoolwork rather than friends this year. That didn't stop them from texting him, inviting him to hang out, or anything actually...

But Damian stopped altogether. Maybe it's because they weren't really all that good of friends? It was a sad thought, but most realistic... After all- 

"Hey sorry!" Damian's voice cuts through his thoughts as he squeezes in between Nick and Jack. "Shroom and Faye were being nuisances this morning and today was my sister's first day in middle school. So, I wasn't going to miss walking her to school!" 

He's chipper as usual, but something is way different since from the last time he saw him. 

"You got rid of your emo haircut." 

No that's not it. His complexion is better, he looks healthier, more _alive_. But also yeah, his hair was different." 

"Wrong," Damian fires back. 

He reaches up and undoes the clips and suddenly sophomore Damian is back as his hair falls back over his eyes. "Though it does get hard to see with my like this, and I do plan on being better than you this year," he grins, pinning back his hair. 

"What now?"

"Yup. By the time midterms come my marks will be tenfolds better than yours were last year." 

"Really? Well, there's nothing wrong with a little friendly competition." 

The two boys grinned at each other, making snarky banter that make the others laugh before its time to split up and head to class. It's too bad and a surprise no one notices how uncomfortable and nervous Jack was, as he forced himself to laugh long. Well, almost no one. That smirk that was directed at him from Damian was more than enough proof for that.


	11. Sweet Tooth

Jack had always been in love with Sherry since they were kids. He made sure to show how much he cared about her, how much he had loved her. Jack never told her about his feelings. He never thought it was the right time. 

Now he'd never get the time to confess his love to her. And it was all thanks to that _thing._ But that wasn't what was important right now. What's important was the person in front of him, the next potential victim. 

His name was Keith Urban. A talented kid in the music department and a very happy-go-lucky kinda guy. And one of (Y/N)'s closer friends. He's in the same grade as Damian, which was good. It was perfect for the thing he was about to ask. 

"Do you and Damian talk when you're not hanging around with (Y/N)?" 

"Not really," the boy answers, messing with the strings of the ukelele. They were vibing out in the music room, talking about random stuff as Jack slowly steered the conversation his way. That's why Keith doesn't think it's weird or anything when he suddenly brings that up. 

"Oh, well, does he do anything odd? He's a pretty strange kid to me." 

"Not really? He's actually pretty quiet when he's not around (Y/N). I know it's surprising. He only ever talks if the teacher calls on him." Keith strums his fingers against the string, cringing at the tune that is still apparently wrong. 

"Oh, wait! I don't know if this is really odd or not, but I've never seen him eat or even drink anything. He probably just doesn't like school food or anything, but when we hung out last year, I noticed he wouldn't touch his food and ended up passing it to someone else..." Keith trails off, before shrugging his shoulders. 

Jack shifts, sitting up straighter. Keith was onto something he didn't even know he was on. Damian never ate, and if he did, he almost instantly left afterward... Looking pale and sick. Jack furrows his brows. 

Was he onto something? 

He didn't know, but he had an idea. Of course, it would require contacting (Y/N), who hardly ever responded to him outside of school, and even in school, they rarely talked. Gah! Everything was too complicated! He was hunting a literal monster, and if he failed, he was most definitely going to die! Not only him, but so many other people will too. (Y/N) might. Keith might. Random strangers who didn't deserve might. 

He lets out a huff, getting to his feet. 

"Leaving me already?" the younger boy jokes, setting the instrument down.

"Yeah. My mom is going to be here soon, so I need to start heading out. Cya, loser." 

He waves bye to Keith, walking from the room. 

x x x x

"Did you know Damian's birthday is in February? I wish I had known last year.." 

"A lot of stuff happened last year," Jack replies, leaning back onto the couch, "I'm sure he understands." the boy wonders how his tone sounds to others. Did he sound bitter? Angry? Or was he able to completely hide his emotions like that goddamn asshole? 

"Yeah... This year is going to be different," (Y/N) says. 

Jack looks at the T.V. Usually, this would be around the time his buddy would be studying, ignoring his calls and texts, and everything else. It was a miracle that (Y/N) contacted him first, inviting him over for a little bit while his parents were out. 

And it worked out in favor because Jack had been wanting to come over. Sure it was a selfish reason, but he really needed to talk to (Y/N) about it. After all, he's the one who knows the kid the best. Though, if everything Damian has done or says is false... He could really be in some deep shit. 

"I wonder what I should get him for his birthday..." 

"It's still quite a few months away." 

"Yeah... I know. He told me the same thing, but..." (Y/N) trails off, shrugging and giving Jack his best nervous smile, "I wanna be prepared. Like I already have your gift picked out and anything." 

"Ok ok fine..." Jack wasn't going to let such a good opportunity slip, "What does he like?"

And the list came, (Y/N) trying to remember everything. Jack concentrated on every word, wondering if there was something that would help him with his problem. It came in six simple letters.

" _Sweets..._ "

"Wait what?" 

Jack sits up. Was this what he was waiting for? 

"Oh? I'd thought you realized by now, but he has a giant sweet tooth." 

The teen shrugs, trying to pretend not to care so much, but his mind is reeling. _Was this true? How did I not notice this? Maybe he saves the sweets for later? Hmm... Food makes him sick? Agh! My head is gonna burst! I can't deal with this_!

"I still think you should wait to consider getting him anything, but its probably easiest just to get him a box of snacks and call it a day." 

(Y/N) laughs, agreeing with Jack. 

"Sorry... I'm still having kinda a hard time coping with everything." 

Did the air just drop from eighty-seven to zero? Because Jack was suddenly very cold and uncomfortable. 

"I... Uh, dude, I don't understand what brought that up." 

"I want to spend more time with you guys. I really do, but it's hard to bring myself to talk with people." 

He laughs again, but this time it's not light-hearted nor happy. It's forced and nervous. 

"Sorry." 

"C'mon..." Jack leans over, elbowing his friend, "Stop apologizing. It's going to be alright." 

_Especially now that I have a plan of sorts to protect you all..._

X X X X 

Damian tries to block out the yelling, but god they're so loud. He would have gone down there and told both of them to shut up so Carolina could sleep, but there was no way he could that.

Considering that Carolina was clinging onto his arm, head buried into her chest as she lets out quiet sobs. 

_"How long do you expect to keep that demon child!?"_

_"Shut up! Shut up! I don't want to talk about this anymore!"_

_"You never want to talk about this shit! And look where it got us!"_

They were arguing about him. Which was nothing new of course, and probably wouldn't have bothered him as much, but lately... Dear Carolina seems to more aware of what's happening around her. If he's not careful, he'll have to put his plans into action sooner. She'll start questioning why he's doing all this strange stuff more so than she already does.

Damian really can't let that happen, but right now, he's going to be the best older brother he can be and comfort her. 

"They'll be quiet soon," he whispers to her, "It'll all be ok soon..." 


	12. Sugary Downfall

The first time it happened, Damian was suspicious. 

"Giving me sweets? You're never this nice to me," he chuckles, looking down at the cupcake, "And it smells a bit burnt... But I can't sense any poison." The boy quirks an eyebrow, looking at Jack. 

The older boy crosses his arm, forcing a grin. 

"Consider it a gift." 

"Hmm... I don't think a poorly made cupcake is a gift by anyone standards, but down it goes." Damian unwraps the cupcake, devouring it in a few quick bites. Not very good for his digestion system, but then again, eating slowly wouldn't have been either. 

There are no immediate effects, but Jack doesn't worry. After all, he didn't corner the creature without a plan. His next few classes would have Keith in them - a perfect opportunity to learn just how sick he would get.

He did this throughout almost the entire month. Bringing Damian some type of sweet food just before he had classes with Keith and then learning what happened an hour or so later. 

"The teacher is about to ban him from going to the bathroom at this rate," Keith laughs, playing a horrible tune on the harmonica. Jack would laugh and play dumb. 

It wasn't long before Damian caught on, though. It didn't surprise Jack... No, what surprised him was that Damian continues to eat his horrible cooking. 

"Too much salt," he'd advised.

"Hmm... Could do with more cinnamon," he would say.

"Try baking this a bit longer than what the recipe requires," he'd tell him. 

Due to Damian's little tips, he had actually become a better baker by the end of this. Of course, his helpful little tips were always accompanied by an insult. Jack soon learned to always have a reply ready. 

Finally, the day came. Though, even Damian didn't seem to realize it. Maybe Jack had just been getting good at hiding his emotions? 

The boy is snickering when Jack hands him the cupcake.

"You're trying to see if larger foods will affect me more, huh? And even tried to make it look pretty with one of those mini umbrellas for drinks!" Damian is still giggling, unwrapping the cupcake. He does his daily routine of sniffing it, eyeing it, and then taking huge bites into it. 

Again, the effects weren't immediate, but that was good. Jack puts on a frown, though, crossing his arms. 

"I thought you would get sicker faster..." 

"You underestimate my stomach!" he quips back, wiping the chocolate from his mouth, "Now, if you're done wasting my time... I need to get to class before I'm late. Gotta continue being the perfect model student and all!" 

He waves bye, walking off with a shit-eating grin on his face.

Jack turns his back to the creature, walking towards his next class. In class, a friend of his asks what he is so happy about. 

X X X 

Damian starts feeling his stomach reject the food, but he ignores it. He'd already tested the teacher's patience and wasn't looking forward to testing it even more. After all, she was just one of those teachers. 

He could deal with symptoms of a mild tummy ache, he has before! This would be a piece of cake! He just needed to get it out soon. Straight after class... But as time goes on... And on... He starts feeling tired.

That's a new one.

His head is spinning. He tries to push it away. Attempts to focus on the shit spewing from the woman's mouth, but he just can't do it. It becomes too unbearable. 

Damian gets up from his chair, drops of sweat rolling down his face.

'What the hell was in that cupcake?' was his first coherent thought. 

His next few verbal words weren't as coherent. He stumbles from his desk, his equilibrium completely thrown off as he slurs his words. He tries to tell the nurse that he's going to use the restroom, but he even starts having trouble moving one foot in front of another. 

So, with a giant commotion in front of the whole class, he passes out then and there. He's rushed to the office, where he stays with the school nurse. 

"Seems like the symptoms from last year," she tells his mom, "But worse. Is it possible that..." And then she goes to list on different medical conditions he could possibly have. 

Damian's in and out of it, though, leaning over a trashcan as he pukes. The faster he empties his stomach, the quicker he can filter out this poison, but all that vomiting is in vain. 

"Here. These crackers will be good for your stomach," the nurse is saying, handing him a pack of crackers. 

He shakes his head, but they're still shoved into his fingers. 

"You can't go on with an empty stomach." 

Damian forces them down. Not all of them, but some of them, and even that small amount of salt makes him sick. 

It's an absolute miracle when his mom finally comes to pick him up. He vomits up the crackers once they're in the parking lot, his mom rubbing his back. 

"C'mon... We need to get you home. Maybe a bowl of soup..." she trails off, that idea popped as soon as it was thought. "Let's just wait until Carolina gets home," she whispers, helping him to the car. 

The symptoms just worsen. Damian is entirely reliant on his mom as she helps him inside. And not only was his stomach empty, but his energy levels were dropping incredibly fast due to the vast amounts of poison in his system. All that work to look healthy would be totally crushed. 

His mother lays him down, helping get rid of the stuffy school clothes. 

"If you need me... Call on me...Ok, dear?" she stumbles through her words, barely heard by the sick creature. She hesitates to leave him since he's so unresponsive, but a sick little part of her isn't bothered when she leaves the room. 

x x x

It's late in the night when Damian wakes up. His heart is racing his chest and doesn't seem to be able to breathe well. No amount of air seems to be good enough, his breathing rapidly increasing. 

"You don't look so good, shithead," his father laughs.

Damian shifts his head a little, trying to get a good look at his father in the darkness. But he's only met with the dizzying blackness. 

"I bet you thought little Carolina would be home tonight... She's at a friend's house. You're going to have to deal with going hungry tonight." 

Damian can't form words, he can only glare into the darkness as involuntarily convulsions wreck his body. 

X X X

It's unsurprising when Damian doesn't come to school the next day. Or the day after. Not only was his perfect attendance ruined, but he was also suffering. A win-win in Jack's book if he has anything to say about it. The day he did come to school, he was insufferable. 

(Y/N) wasn't thinking that way, despite his teasing attitude towards the creature, it was plain he cared a lot about him. 

When Jack cornered Damian up against the wall, a smirk gracing his lips, the little fucker only says, "Careful. Somebody might see and get the wrong idea." He rocks back and forth on his heels, cheekily grinning. 

"I'm sure you'll be fine with that." 

Being so close to Damian, it was hard to not punch him in the face. Jack balled his head into a first. 

This thing was still alive. Still in front of Jack, grinning and breathing, while Sherry and Charlie weren't. He hated how Damian reminded him of Sherry every time he looked at him. 

There was also that ugly jealously deep inside the pits of his stomach. Damian wasn't attractive at all, and he had a shit personality, so he has no idea why Sherry had dated him. Had decided to get close to him. Had kissed him, hugged him, held his hand, and who else knows what they did... Jack didn't like that part of him, but when it came to the junior, he thinks he might just allow it for a bit. 

"So, what did you want pretty boy? Come here to rub it in my face that you pulled one over me? Make it snappy. I don't have all day." 

"Oh no, nothing of the sort. I just came to ask how antifreeze tasted." 

"Is that what you used? I didn't peg you as a smart person." 

"Yeah? Well, I'll guess it'll surprise you when I tell you that I found out one of your weaknesses." 

Damian goes silent, crossing his arms over his chest as he leans back against the wall. An invitation to continue, not that Jack needed it.

"Despite the obvious sickness whenever you eat anything, but poison still effects you. And, it's more effective when your body is concentrating on something else." His voice comes out in small whispers, eyes glancing around the empty classroom. "Which can be said about any harm that happens to you. Your body can only focus on healing one while the other has to wait... And it's gotta drain you." 

Jack remembered the time he knocked the shit out of Damian. Even in his unconscious state, his body was healing. Slowly, but it was. That bullet hole to the shoulder hadn't help. And the way he was bags had appeared under his eyes before long. 

"Impressive. You're right. But it took you almost two months to figure it out." 

"Yeah. _Two_ months. Doesn't that make you worry?" 

"No. You don't scare me because I know I'm going to win."

In a rough shove, he sends Jack falling down to his ass. It was just to show off that he wasn't weak in terms of strength - to show off.

"I've played these games before," he says, that shit-eating grin on his face, "So, I know all these dirty little tricks you humans can play." 

"Yet, you still ate the poisoned cupcake. You allowed me to drag you into an empty room where anything could happen." 

That grin falters, just for a second, before he shrugs. 

"And what do you think is going to happen in this room?" 

Jack gets up to his, brushing off his hands. He's gone silent for a split second before he's burying his knuckles into's Damian's face. The boy lets out a yelp of pain, tears springing into the corner of his eyes as his head bounces against the wall. 

A feral noise escapes from his lips, blood dripping down his lips. 

"I'll make you regret that." 

He doesn't have much room to work with, and Jack takes advantage of his already cornered state. He gets his time to shine when he manages to shove the bigger boy to the ground and get on top of him, dealing his fair share of blows. 

But it's not long before he's shoved off, being pinned against the ground by Jack. He's kicking, even resorting to clawing at him, to get him off. Jack doesn't budge, his iron grip tightening around Damian's throat as he continues to vent all his frustrations out on his face.

By the time he is done, Damian is spitting up blood and unable to stand on two feet. 

"I can... I can go to a teacher about this... You could be expelled." His snide attitude wasn't lost, but it was about to be.

"You won't." 

"What?" 

"I said you won't."

"And how come I won't, Mr-know-it-all?" 

"Because. You wouldn't want to ruin this little game you think you're playing."

Damian gets up from his hands and knees, wobbling a bit. His body is already mending itself, albeit slowly, so he could hardly see Jack out of his swollen eyes. But it's obvious he's finally lost that snide attitude. 

The obvious choice would be to turn Jack in, make up some lie about him being cornered and bullied... After all, Jack was just a dumb jock who was barely passing. 

But he's not going to. 

"Eight months. That's around the time you have left... Time runs by faster than you think, Jack." 

"The same can go for you."

Was that a glare? Jack wondered when he left the room. Whatever the look had been, it did give him chills... Seriously, he had no what type of shit he was getting himself into... He just knows he needs to do it. For everyone.

X X X X

Damian sits on your couch, wincing as he presses an ice pack to the black eye. 

"You're really banged up..." you mumble, rinsing the blood from the wash cloth. 

The boy doesn't say anything, making you worry more. He had such a faraway look in his eyes, flinching whenever you moved your hands close to face to help him. Whoever did this to him didn't have any mercy. 

"Seriously... You need to tell me. If you're getting bullied we need to take this to the principal or a teacher." 

"You wouldn't believe me..." Damian mumbles, moving his hand away from you when you tried to clean up the blood. 

"That's insulting," you scoff jokingly, but that only makes the boy frown even more, "Seriously, I would believe you." 

"I don't wanna talk about it..." Damian looks away, furrowing his brow and letting out a wince. 

"Fine. You don't have to tell. Just give me your hands." 

The boy huffs, letting you tend to his hands. 

You think back to how you found him. It was at the end of school - you had to stay late for a council meeting, so almost everyone was gone by the time you left the building. You honestly hadn't expected to stumble across the boy under one of the school trees. At first you were just going to be polite, give him a little hi and bye so you could hurry home and study for this upcoming test. You hadn't expected him to be silently sobbing with blood stained clothes. He was against you dragging him to your house, but he gave in quickly when he saw you weren't going to just leave him there. 

"Thank you..." Damian mumbles. 

You smile at him, setting his bandaged hand down. 

"Yeah. No problem. We're friends, right?"

He raises an eyebrow, looking back at you.

"What about the thing you said during summer? Where you going to focus on school only?" 

"It wasn't a complete lie... It's just... I had a lot on my plate. And, I didn't know what to do." 

Damian sighs, leaning over and patting you on the head - the same you had that night. 

"It's ok. I'm glad you're doing better now." And than he smiles, and despite how ugly, bruised, and bloody his face is right now, it's somehow very cute. And it makes you advert your eyes. Your heart beats faster, and you wonder if it's suddenly eighty degrees hotter in here, because you suddenly feel on fire. 

"I'm going to go put away the med stuff now... Um.." You gather up all the trash and the med kit, getting up to your feet and rushing away. You can't explain the symptoms you're feeling, but you don't like it. That's for sure. 


	13. Damian's Trick

"You're such a good big brother," the woman laughs, patting Damian on the shoulder. This was his sister's homeroom teacher, Mr. Something-I-Don't-Care-About. She was old, fat, and frankly smelled disgusting and of disease. She would not make a tasty snack. 

Damian smiles up at the woman, bashfully adverting his eyes. 

"Thank you."

He lingers around, eyeing the buffet table. After his sister was graciously invited over to friend's Halloween party, which she was required to make something for, Damian somehow got dragged along. 

This was not how he wanted to enjoy his All Hallow's Eve.

Yet, he went along anyway. Even baking a pie and cookies for his sister so she could go plan her costume.

"And your costume is just adorable! I remember matching with my siblings," she talks some more, but Damian has started to tune her out, nodding his head and smiling along. 

When he finally escapes from the old lady's jabbering, he finds his sister. She's surrounded by her friends, laughing and talking. A boy gets a bit too close to her, brushing his fingers along her knuckles. Damian doesn't miss the shy giggle, adverted gaze, and the way her fingers start to slip around his. 

"Yo, Carolina," he says, shoving his way in between her and the boy, "How long do you expect to be here? I want to head home soon." Carolina gives him a look.

"You know what you promised. You can't go back on a promise." 

Damian scowls, teeth-gritting as he returns her look. 

"You're right. I just don't want to hang around a bunch of old ladies and children for the rest of the night." 

She scoffs, pushing him away. 

"Go eat something and leave me alone." 

He huffs in mock annoyance, but an order is an order, and he has to obey. 

His nose twitches. 

Damian makes his way over to the buffet table, swiping a tongue over his lips. A woman had set down a plate of _mini_ cakes, cute little things decorated in purple, black, and orange frosting. Each one was something different. The mini cakes came in a skeleton, a pumpkin, a black cat shape - anything remotely Halloweenie. 

Before he knows it, he's shoving one into his mouth. Frosting coats his fingers as he takes another. 

It's definitely a bad idea, but that doesn't stop him from downing a couple more. 

A vicious no-good thought crosses his mind. His "fake" tail lifts up, curling and twisting about. Damian grabs one of those red plastic cups with one hand, another reaching for his tail. He slices his finger against the tip of his tail, fat drops of blood oozing from his fingers. Some of it drips onto the floor.

"Geez Daemon, wasting blood, are we?" he mumbles underneath his breath. He leans over, getting a class of punch and letting his blood drip into the bowl of punch. He makes sure it isn't suspicious by having some of the red punch drip down the side of the cup when he spoons the drink into his cup. When he's satisfied, the tear in his finger heals up nicely. 

It wasn't Halloween if there weren't a few tricks.

Though he's starting to feel the side effects of binging all those sweets and then healing himself. Even if it had been a small wound, it could have massive consequences on his energy levels. 

He doesn't really care.

Damian straightens up, his tail going limp and dead once more. Though, if it falls asleep one more time, he just might go batshit crazy because that stuff is so painful. 

He strolls away from the buffet table, sipping at his cup. It wasn't disgusting, but it wasn't his taste. And when he finally thinks the boredom is going to kill him, his phone goes off. He checks it, the fur along his tail spiking as he tries to control the giddiness that threatens to him to break character.

**Honey Lavender**

Hang out? Friends ditched me lol

This was the perfect chance. The evens would fall on his side, the odds on Jack. He pauses before typing in his response. Was it a bit too early? If he makes a move too quickly, everything could fall to ruins, and he'd have to go back into hiding, and he might just die this time. 

But he's sooo bored... He wants to move things along! And he can't do that by overthinking every _little_ detail. 

He responds with a quick _, 'sure. heres where im at. can't wait to see u'_ Damian sends the text, address attached. 

The boy worries for a second once he realizes something. The 'costume' he has on isn't exactly a costume at all. Actually, his day-to-day outfit was more a costume. It would take a buncha energy just to shrink his ears back down to size, and the green contacts were too itchy! He almost lets out a pathetic whine but stops himself. 

For the good of his plan, he will exhaust himself! After all, he's a good actor so it's not like anybody will notice immediately. He compliments himself mentally, walking back over to his sister's friend group. 

"Heeeeyy," he says, "I'm going to head out with a friend for a bit. But! I'll make to come back and pick you up, k?" 

She looks even more annoyed now since he had interrupted a rather _serious_ gossip conversation.

"Sure, but if you forget, I'm telling Mom," she threatens.

"I won't." 

She shoos him away, and he's left waiting outside for (Y/N) to come and get him. 

Damian turns back, glancing at the punch bowl. Some kids are getting a drink from it. Maybe he should worry about his sister getting some, but it wasn't like the poison in his blood was going to kill anyone. Just make people very, _very_ sick. 

x x x 

"What took you forever?" Damian teases, dropping down into the front seat and grinning sweetly at the most delectable human around.

"It's a surprise," the boy comments, smiling back at Damian. Not a _real_ smile. It was forced, small, and his voice felt a little off. Like he was sad, bitter, and annoyed at all the same time. But it couldn't be directed at Damian, because he hadn't done anything yet. 

And nobody could be annoyed with little ole him. 

"So, where are we going?" 

"That's also a surprise." 

"Well, aren't you full of surprises tonight." 

"Halloween is a day full of surprises." 

Damian turns his head to look out the window, his lips turning down into a frown. The tension in the car was so thick it could cut butter. Something was obviously wrong with (Y/N), and he probably wasn't going to say anything about it. That's just the type of person he was. 

"Ok, I'll bite-"

"Please don't. Those fake teeth you have in look like they can do some serious damage." 

"How about we find out?" 

"You were saying?" 

Damian huffs, rolling his eyes. Still, he finds he can't help but not smile. 

"You must have fought with Jack about something, right?"

(Y/N) goes quiet. The tension just grows to a suffocating amount. Damian hit the nail on the head because, of course, he did. He's just that good. Well, in his opinion, at least. 

"We had an _argument._ But it's nothing to concern yourself with. Anyways, I brought you out here, so I could not think about that."

Damian never took his eyes off the passenger window, watching as building and city lights turned to forest and darkness. 

The silence becomes awkward. So awkward, that even the oblivious numbskull notices. Maybe that's why (Y/N) keeps glancing over at Damian for more than a few seconds. The creature can feel the human's eyes on him every other second. 

Not that he's complaining. He does like to be admired, especially by unknowing victims.

Damian looks at (Y/N), about to tease him, but the boy says something that shuts him up. 

_"Your eyes are fucking creepy, dude."_

He doesn't hear the rest of the teen's sentence. 


	14. Your Treat

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Author's Notes: Hey, Moony, here! I just wanted to thank those who's stuck around and read this far! I really appreciate it (: Though, this ending was kinda hard for me to write, so I don't know how well I did everything. Forgive me.]
> 
> {WARNINGS: Underage drinking. Also, don't sleep in contacts.}
> 
> X X X 

It was a split second. 

For a split second, it looked like the boy across from you wanted to murder you. You tell your brain that it was making it up. That it wasn't really what you saw. You trick your brain into thinking that, because only a few seconds later, he's smiling and laughing- rolling his eyes.

"That's the point, nimrod. I thought you were supposed to be smart." 

You laugh with him, unconsciously clenching the driving wheel harder than you mean too. 

"That does make sense." 

"And keep your eyes on the road. I _really_ don't want to die today due to your reckless driving."

Out of the corner of your eyes, you see him look away. His eyes are back on the window. You tried to get rid of this awkward silence, but you seem to only made it worse. _'Great going, idiot!'_ You scold yourself mentally. 

So, you put on music. That always helps. And this time seems no different. Before long, you have Damian tapping to your music, so deep in thought, he probably wouldn't notice if you got to the place right now.

You find it cute.

You're closing in on the surprise place, so you decide to turn down the music. Damian instantly notices that. But before he can question you, you're already talking. 

"We're getting near the area I'm talking about." 

"You sure you're not dragging me out here to kill me?" he asks, snickering as if he had said something funny, "Because, by the looks of this place, it could be the perfect place." 

You laugh nervously along, "Nope. Not yet! It's actually a pretty special place for me..." 

You tap your fingers against the steering wheel. 

It was a camping ground, with trails that you could hike and wildlife to see. People stopped coming a few years ago, so it sort of became personal between you and your family. It used to be a tradition to go every other weekend. Now you don't go as much because there's just so much you have to do.

And your parents have a lot to do, and you wouldn't want to bother them with something dumb and insignificant like this. After all, according to them, you're already a major disappointment. You don't want to add to that list.

"Oh, a special place? I'm honored." 

"No need to sound so sarcastic. And I'll think you'll like it." 

Damian snorts as if he doesn't believe a word coming from your mouth, but that's okay with you. You take a few more turns, slow down, and before long, you're parked. 

"Yeah...." Damian peers out the front windshield, "You're definitely going to murder me." He leans his chin onto the knuckles of his hand, looking at you. You meet his gaze again. 

"It's still a nope. Now, wait here while I go get something." 

You slip out of the car. 

X X X

Damian watches (Y/N) leave, keeping the pretty smile on his face until he's out of the other boy's sight. Then he's in a rush. He leans down, grabbing his bag and putting it between his thighs. His ears start to shrink down to size, teeth dull, and become more human. He even manages to shrink his tail down enough that he can easily slip it into his pants; he just had to make sure to dull the sharp tip first, or that would have been a bloody mess. 

And he's proud of himself! He did all this transformation without breaking a sweat! Is what he thinks, as a drop of sweat rolls down his forehead. At least the horns were fake, and he could just take off the headband, shoving that into his bag. 

There was just one thing he couldn't change about himself. And he catches it in the mirror. 

Those disgusting red eyes. Completely unnatural, hideous, and Damian hates them. But the color wasn't even the worst part. He doesn't really know the reasoning behind it, but starting from the pupil, it spiraled out. Or maybe swirled out? He didn't really know, though he should count his blessings that the spiral never went out of the iris. A spiraled sclera would have definitely been harder to hide! 

But he's wasting time! And, after all, he thinks of himself as quite an intelligent being, so this would be no problem since he brought the green eye contacts just in case. Damian is a very prepared human-eater. At least most of the time. 

X X X 

You return back to the car to find Damian stripping out of the red vest he wore. His gloved fingers make quick work of the buttons. You watch as he slides it down his arms. He seemed to be ignoring you and what you're holding. Keyword; _seemed._

"It took you forever to grab a pack of beer?" he asks in that teasing tone of his. He folds up his vest and shoves it into his bag, "I'm going to have to start calling you slowpoke at this point since you take forever with _everything."_

"I do not!" you defend yourself, opening up the pack, "I just got distracted." 

"That is what a slowpoke would say." 

"You keep believing that." 

You hear the thump of Damian's bag as it hits the floor of the car. 

"But I guess it must have been a few good minutes since... You've gotten rid of most of your costume. Sorry about that." 

"It's fine. It was getting hot anyway, and that stuff can be stuffy." 

"What about the makeup?"

Damian raises an eyebrow, leaning back against the seat.

"That's not part of my costume." 

"Oh... Well, you look good in it..." 

You offer him one of the cans. 

"I know." 

He takes the can but doesn't open it immediately as you do. 

"Isn't this illegal?" 

"It's just for one night." 

"And if we're both drunk, how do you expect us to get back home? I might have already said this tonight, but I really don't want to die because of you." 

You don't answer, not immediately at least. You hear the sound of him opening the can. 

"I don't plan on going home tonight." '

You can feel his questioning look on your skin, like ants crawling all over you. You try not to shiver, focusing more on the way the drink tastes. 

Honestly, you can't tell which is worse. 

X X X 

Damian has no idea how it came to this. Things moved way too fast, even for him. (Y/N) was talking and talking, and then suddenly, he's leaning too close to the dark-haired boy. He's holding his face, the smell of beer heavy on his breath. It makes Damian's face scrunch up.

The radio had been turned on some time ago, so (Y/N)'s slurred words are hardly audible. But that hardly seems to matter because his sentences are barely coherent anyways. 

~~_No, that's a lie. He can make out what (Y/N) is saying, but he doesn't want to hear it. He doesn't want to hear the crap from his mouth._ ~~

Damian's mouth gapes open, like a fish, as he tries to say something. Anything to get out of this because he doesn't think he can handle this. Lucky for him, he doesn't. The drunk pukes on him, mumbling out a bunch of sorries as he tries to help. 

Damian is out of the car in the flash of an eye, a face full of disgust. He also ended up spilling his beer all over him. So, he's a smelly mess right now, and he hates. (Y/N) tries his best to help Damia, getting out of the car and stumbling over to the smaller boy. But his equilibrium is all over the place, and he's almost toppling over. 

"I'm so sorry... I ruin everything..." 

"You're fine. Everything is fine." 

_Please don't start getting emotional on me. I am not in the mood to deal with that right now._

Damian smiles at him, but it's pretty forced and obvious. 

"How about you sit down in the back, and I'll drive us home."

"But you're so tiny... and you're drunk... It's not safe." 

"Better than me staying in these clothes." 

(Y/N) says something, but once more, it's all mumbled and slurred, but Damian gets the idea when he starts stripping out of his shirt. 

x x x

The dark-haired boy sits in the front seat. The door kept open to air out the smell, so his sensitive nose doesn't suffer. (Y/N) was asleep in the back, snoring and mumbling in his sleep. Even when he's sleeping, he doesn't know how to shut up. 

He finishes up wiping the makeup off, tossing the dirty wipe into the passenger seat.

Damian sighs, leaning back. There was a blanket draped over both of them. (Y/N) really wasn't planning on going home tonight. _'Idiot,'_ he thinks, closing his eyes. The 'older' boy had even expected him to stay with him.

_'The audacity.'_

At least (Y/N) had a comfy shirt, even if it had short sleeves. 

He doesn't mean to fall asleep. 

X X X

You wake up itchy, cold, and with the sun in your face. Last night is a blur, and your back is in so much pain. Probably from the not the most ideal sleeping position you were in. Though, it looks like Damian had it worst. 

His feet were sticking out of the window, his head resting on the armrest. One arm dangled over the seat, the other underneath his head acting as a pillow. And that shirt he wore was awfully familiar. Oh yes, it was your shirt, not that you remember giving it to him. And you can't think of why you would give it to him. 

But you're sure he'll tell. Complain about something you had done the night before. So very like him. 

You lean forward, going in to tap him on the shoulder, but he's awake before you know it. 

"Carolina..." he sits up, brings his feet in. 

He looks around, eyes round and confused. It must have sunk in where he was because he mutters a curse underneath his breath. 

"She's going to be so mad at me," he laughs tiredly, before leaning back down, "How are you feeling?" he asks, pulling the blanket, so it covers his upper body. 

"I have a headache... And I feel a little nauseous. I didn't drink too much, did I?" 

"Define too much?"

"More than two cans." 

"Well, do I have bad news for you," he chuckles. 

You don't think it's funny. 

"Do you know what time it is?" 

"Phone is dead." 

"Dammit." 

You let out a huff, falling back into the seat. You're dead when you get home, but this was what you _wanted_. You should be alright with suffering whatever dumb punishment your Mom or Dad gave you. You reap what you sow, right? 

"We should probably start heading home..." 

"Yeah... I'll drive." 

"Don't you have a headache? Feeling sick? I'll drive." 

"My car."

"My life." 

You force your way into the driver's seat, moving Damian into the passenger side with ease. 

"No fair. You're not allowed to use your brutish strength against me!" Damian whines, wrapping the blanket around himself and giving you the case of puppy eyes. 

"Gotta use all my strength to my advantage. Especially against you." 

"Rude." 

You let out a small laugh. The younger boy whacks at your shoulder gently. 

"So, care to explain why you stole my shirt?" 

"Care to explain why you decided to vomit all over me last night? If so, we can talk." 

There it is. Damian never fails to live up to your expectations.

"Oh... Haha, sorry, but I had extra clothes underneath the seat." 

"Seriously? I didn't know that. Especially from the way you talked... You were all like 'no no no, I'm so sorry... Here... Take my shirt... I insist... Take it... There are blankets in the back... Ohhh, I'm sooo sorry...'" he says in a mockingly [deep/high] pitched tone. 

"Was it really? God, that's embarrassing. Did I do anything else stupid?" 

"Obviously. It's you we are talking about. I should have definitely caught all of it on camera." 

"Ass." 

"Get a shirt on." 

When you're suitably dressed, and you two snacked on the melted candy bars and dried cereal, it was time to head back to the city. But, you have to address something first. 

"You keep rubbing your eyes a lot... And they're pretty red. Are you alright?"

"I got something in them." 

"For the past thirty minutes?" 

"Yep." 

You scowl, but don't push it further. Anyways, you have something else on your mind. 

x x x

You stop outside of Damian's house. He is unbuckling his seat belt, blabbering on about something regarding how his bag was going to stink for weeks. You apologize, but you don't meet his gaze. Your eyes are glued onto the scars covering his arms, exposed by the short sleeves. 

It makes sense why he always wears long sleeves. And the more you look, the more uncomfortable you feel. You don't say anything about it, even though you planned to.

"See you later," you smile at him.

"You sure? Not just gonna drop me again as you did? Because that really was a blow to my sensitive feelings." He might be smiling, but you know that beneath it, he's sincere. 

"Sorry, I've just... Been dealing with a lot." 

"Understandable..."

They fall into an uncomfortable silence.

"If you ever need help... I'm always here. And so is Jack, Keith... And what's his face? Hugo?"

"Haha, that's him. And Damian, the same goes for you. I'm always here for you." 

You reach out, running your fingers through his hair. You don't miss the way he flinches or freezes up, before easing up.

"Personal space." 

He pushes your hand away.

"See ya, nerd." 

He's gone, running into the house. You're alone. Those thoughts are catching up to you, the consequences of yesterday are going to catch up to you. 

You lean your head against the steering wheel, dreading going home. 


	15. Disappointment

{Trigger Warning: Homophobia, usage of a slur, and parental abuse}

"Can't you do better? These grades are a bit disappointing... Maybe you should quit those dumb after school activities, so you can focus more on studying..." 

"Mom," you start to say, picking at your food, "It's fine. I can balance study and after school activities... It's just that the subject is kind of hard for me..."

"But you're our pride and joy. You don't want to disappoint us." 

You stab a piece of your food with your fork, scowling a little. 

"And you have stopped hanging out with your friends after school, right? I'm worried that maybe they're still influencing you somehow... If only I could homeschool, but we're both always so busy... And I don't trust a private tutor with my baby boy." 

"Mom..." 

"Listen to your mother, boy. She knows what she's talking about." 

You lower your head, biting back a retort. Today was Halloween, and you were probably going to be stuck in the house again. Just fantastic.

"I don't think there's anything wrong with me hanging out with my friends." 

Truth be told, yeah, you were pretty lonely since you had to cut out like 80% of your social interaction. Your parents don't understand that, somehow. 

"There certainly is! You were so close to getting the top of your class last year!"

"There was more growing on than just school..." you mumble.

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

You feel your mother tense.

"Don't get snappy with her," your father interjects, giving you a hard stare.

"I'm not," you try to defend yourself.

"And don't get snappy with me either, boy."

"Yeah, we're just trying to look out for you..." 

You clench your hands, inhaling deeply.

"I don't care... I'm going to my room." 

"No, you're not. You're staying right here, and we're going to talk." 

"There's nothing to talk about," you say.

"There is," your mom continues. Her voice rises in pitch, and you can feel another outburst of anger coming from her. It's nothing new, but you don't want to be around for it. 

"What is there to talk about?" you ask, becoming agitated, "You guys want me to stay shut up in the house for the rest of my life. Sure. Whatever. Cool." 

"That's not what we're doing! We're just trying to help you achieve in school so you can have a fulfilling adult life," your mother says.

"And what about communication skills? Those are important, right?! Or do you want me to stay friendless forever?!" 

"Do not raise your voice at me!" 

It soon becomes a shouting match between you and your mom. She's telling you that she's doing this for your own good, that you don't need to focus on friends just yet, that she's only helping you, only doing what any sane parent would do. Your father's interjections are of no help. He's only fueling the flames. 

All that anger that you've balled up. All that hatred and misery towards your parents come spilling out. They never comforted you about Sherry or Charlie's death. They never took you out anywhere, never hung out with you, never even tried to talk to you unless it was about school. Unless it benefited them. And they always expected everything out of you.

Perfect grades, a rich and beautiful wife that will continue the family line, a good standing in the comedy, flawless looks, excellent _everything._ You were held up to impossible standards, and had started cracking under the pressure of everything. 

"You never loved me!" you shout, "All you see is as an object for you to control and mold into what you deem perfect! Well, I have news for you assholes, that's not going to happen! I hate you! I hate both of you so much! Can't you just die already?!"

It felt good at the moment to say that. It felt great to get everything off of your chest, but when a glass cup goes flying past your head and shatters against the wall, you feel sick. 

"Shut up, you ungrateful bastard!" your mother yells, standing up, "I have done all that I could for you! And this is how you repay me!? By shouting and calling me names?! You're just like your deadbeat older sister! Couldn't do anything right either! Is that what you want? To become a fucking f*g who lives poor and without a lick of decency?!" 

You back away, tears welling in the corner of your eyes. You shake your head, trying to force out the words. You're shaking, stuttering over your words.

"I don't... I'm sorry..." 

Your mother softens her face.

"It's alright dear, but you should know that it's _your_ fault I got angry... If you hadn't been disrespectful and rude, I wouldn't have thrown anything at you... I wouldn't have shouted at you... But it's ok..." she holds out her hands, smiling at you, "I forgive you." 

Your foot steps into the wetness of the stained carpet. The wine. If you're not careful, you could slice your foot open, not that your parents would care. 

"Come give Mommy a hug," she urges you.

You don't disobey.

x x x

You sit in your room, your mind replaying the disappointed look on your parents' faces. You've been crying for almost half an hour now, the shock of what happened slowly fading away, only for anger to replace it. 

You grab your phone and text Jack. His reply is quick and straightforward. He's busy, and he apologizes. Keith, Hugo, Mary, Nick, Jackson, April, Mia... You go through your contacts. All of them say they're busy, which you think is bullcrap. 

_Emo weeb_

You hover over his contact name for a bit, your mother's words still stuck in your brain. You always saw yourself as an only child due to how your parents brought you up, but that wasn't true. No matter how much you tried to convince yourself it was fact, it never worked. 

You had a sister. Sure, she might not come around anymore and hasn't been seen since you were in middle school, but she was there. Out there in the world somewhere far away from this hellhole. You didn't care much about her. Barely knew her anymore, but you can't help but think about her situation before she left.

It was clear before she made it clear that she was homophobic. Or lesbophobic. It didn't matter which, really. All that mattered is that that had been one of the biggest reasons she disowned your sister. It didn't help that your sister wasn't all that academically smart, more artistic, and creative than logical and brainy. 

You miss her.

Anyways, it's not like you're worried about that kind of stuff... You've only had your eyes on girls for as long as you can remember and never boys. It's normal to be close with your friends, even if they're boys... And it's normal to always think about them and feel hot all over. Completely, and utterly normal. And to imagine your friend like that... Just boy things. You're not scared that your mom will disown you or anything because you think might have a crush on your friend because you don't. You're just _friends._

Yeah...

You wipe your eyes, opening up yours and Damian's chat. Your text is sent, and his reply is almost immediate. "At least he doesn't have a life," you joke to yourself. Secretly, you were ecstatic. You had mixed feelings on the boy for the most part, but he was good people and company. 

You pack up a bag full of clothes and blankets and hope he doesn't mind camping out. There's also something else you need to grab. You've never actually had any, but you've seen movies and memes. 

_I drink to forget, but always remember,_ is a favorite of yours, but tonight, you hope that it doesn't hold any truth.


	16. Little Mistress

Damian was being driven mad with boredom. How could anyone handle this? Maybe because of their short life span, everything in a way seemed enjoyable. Perhaps because they feared every day that their life could be cut off in the most inconvenient ways. It was an uninspiring thought. 

He presses his pencil down a little harder onto the paper. 

Sure, (Y/N) had been able to shave off some of that boredom for a little bit, but there is always so much a stupid, naive little boy like him could do. It was so dull he could tear his stomach out and gorge himself onto it. 

His hands start moving a little faster in quick and ugly strokes. 

Then there's Jack, who's been a constant annoyance. A thorn in his side. Sure, that could be fun as well, but he's always ruining everything. Getting in the way of everything. 

He presses down too hard, causing the tip of the pencil to snap. 

And he snapped too.

Damian's mind goes blank for a hot second, but in a matter of moments, he's letting out a hair-raising shriek. He's fallen out of his chair, cradling his hand close to his chest. 

His finger is bleeding. Not as bad as he made it out to be, but it was just the surprise of it. Damian gets back up, looking down at the pencil that he stabbed into his finger. It lays uselessly on the paper, drops of blood staining the white red.  
He inhales and exhales deeply ten to twenty times. He knows he shouldn't have worked himself up so bad as his very violent tendencies were worse when that happens. 

Damian can't miss the sound of his door opening, light footsteps padding into the room. 

"I heard screaming..." Carolina said, staring at her brother with wide green eyes. He stares down at her with his own identical green eyes. The human before him was unknowingly his current Mistress. The reason behind a lot of his actions was because of her. And all because she didn't know what she was saying. 

Maybe it was odd that Damian would choose such a boring and uninteresting little girl to form a contract with, but there was so much more than that. He wanted to play house for a bit, and there was a little girl dreaming of a stronger older brother.

X X X

[A Few Years Ago...]

The creature with no name was hungry and desperate. He had made an error in his plan with his last Master for sure... Otherwise, he wouldn't be here now, on the verge of a not-death-but-close-enough-to-be-considered-death. Though, he must have drawn the lucky side of stick today for his next victim walks straight up to him.

"You look lonely," the young girl says.

She has bright green eyes and dark brown hair that could almost be black. The creature with no name dips his head, his bangs falling into his eyes to hide their unnaturalness. The contacts had been getting to be too much since he'd slept in them again and had to give them time. 

"I am," the creature replies. 

This girl only sees a young boy, who maybe looks a little older than her. 

"Do you want to play with me?" 

"That sounds fun... But I was told to sit here and wait for my parents to come back." 

The little girl pouts out her lip.

"Okay." 

She walks off. 

The creature with no name goes back to that park every day, and without fail, the little girl is there to greet him. Her name is Carolina Eve. He tells her his name is "Daemon," but she gets it wrong. 

"Damian?"

The first stepping stone of the process has already been completed, and she doesn't even know it yet. 

During these visits, Damian can see how Carolina's family acts. The father is well respected and kind, always smiling and joking around. The mother is more reserved, quiet, but usually happy in her own unique way. It's an adorable and tight-knit family. 

He wants it.

As he collapses into his hiding spot for the night, body yearning for life, he thinks. Damian doesn't know how he wants it. One hand, he wants a happy and peaceful family to call his own. He wants a father who won't beat him and curse him for being a monster, a mother who won't abandon him at the mercy of cruel humans, and maybe a sibling who will look up to him or protect him. 

On the other hand? He wants to crush it. He wants to tear that happiness and hope apart. Just thinking about the despair on the parents' faces when they realize she made a contract with a creature from the pits of even beyond hell... It makes him shudder in delight, drool at the mouth, and feel heat pool underneath his skin. He wants to crush it, break it into tiny pieces just because he can... Like he wants to do with all this beautiful life! 

Just. Because. He. Can.

What fate allowed such a horrible creature like him to exist, he doesn't know. But he sure as hell should thank them! 

It's absolutely maddening! 

He rolls onto his stomach, letting out random fits of maddened laughter. It takes a bit for him to come down from his bout of craziness, but he does, because he has to plan. 

x x x 

He thinks he plays the character of a little kid pretty well. No one suspects a thing. And the second part of the contract is filled when Carolina gifts him with something. 

"I made it when we did crafts in school! It's a bracelet with your name on it!" 

She holds out the bracelet, smiling big. She's happy with this strange boy she's made friends with. Damian is happy too. His plan is coming along nicely. 

"Thank you..."

He slips it on. The bond mental bond between Mistress and Servant strengthens, though Carolina is utterly oblivious to this. It's perfect, for she's truly going to be an easy thing to manipulate. He'll just have to dispose of her when she gets too old. Humans tend to be very tasty during their first years at middle school.

x x x 

The days go by slowly, and soon Mr. and Mrs. Eve is suspicious of the boy who has no parents to be seen. He makes excuses, but its slowly becoming hard even with how smart and bright he thinks he is.   
It doesn't matter anymore. The contract is soon completed. All steps have been completed, and it happens very smoothly.   
It's when Carolina trips over a rock and goes tumbling into the gravelly ground. Damian is rushing to her side, feigning an expression of fear and concern. 

"Are you okay?" he asks, helping her into a sitting position. 

"I... Yeah... I scraped my knee." 

The corner of her eyes is welling up with tears. 

"Wait! Wait! I have this thing my mom does that's said to help it get better..." 

He leans down, kissing her scraped knee. It's only a little bit, but it's enough. The tiny bit of blood he kissed from her scaped knee completes the contract. He'd be visiting her parents tonight. 

x x x

"Holy shit!" Louise shouts, staring at the demonic-looking creature on his countertop. 

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Eve... Or should I call you Dad? Ahahaha! I will be after this!" 

"I... Shit. Lilith, get in here!"

"And here comes Mommy herself!" Damian giggles, cupping his own face with his hands as a vicious grin spread across his face. 

"What..." Lilith stops, staring dead into the eyes of the creature who would ruin their lives. 

"Let's have a chat, Mommy and Daddy... I so sorely miss you."

Whatever he had said to them that night made them change for the worse. He was readily accepted as the new member of the Eve family. The story they told Carolina was that he was her older brother, who was given away for adoption at birth because, at the time, she couldn't take care of the child. His adopted mother wanted to give him a chance to meet his real parents. He soon wanted to move in with them. 

They never questioned how he was able to be legally recognized as a citizen or anything like that. It just happened one day, and they were too scared too. After that was a steady decline for the Eve family. And it's all because their precious little girl decided to befriend the wrong lonely child.   
X X X 

Damian smiles at his younger sister, patting her on the head and ruffling up her hair.

"You're not mad at me anymore? That's good to hear!"

"I'm still mad at you!" she mutters, slapping his hand away, "But that doesn't mean I'm not worried about you. You're weird, strange, and prone to hurting yourself with all this weirdness about you."

"Aweh, you're so sweet, little sis." 

"And you're annoying... But is your hand okay?"

He gives it a quick glance, moving the finger up and down.

"Stings a little. I just have to be more careful next time." 

Damian keeps that same kind and gentle smile on his face, escorting his sister from his room. Lately, their parents have been less lenient about Carolina visiting him. Their mistake. The closer she was to him, the safer he was. 


	17. When November Ends

[Author's Notes: I honestly forgot what Jack looks like so from now he's a brunette with brown eyes and tan skin. Also pretty muscular ig. Idk. I'm tired (:] 

***

"Next month is December," Damian mutters, staring out the train window. Only a few more months, and (Y/N) would be his. He was going to make sure of that. If he had to break his end of the deal, he would. But only as a last resort. Oh, what was he saying? He would break the deal just for fun. Makes things interesting. Betrayal and heartbreak were such fun. 

No.

That's wrong. 

***

"Sweetie, are you okay?" 

Jack glances up at his mom before quickly looking down at his hands. 

"Your grades have been slipping, you look more tired than usual, you're quiet, and you never eat dinner with us anymore. I want you to talk to me." 

"It's..."

How was Jack suppose to tell his mother that this kid at his school murdered his friends and is going to murder him if he doesn't find out said kid's weakness by the end of the school year? Also that this kid wasn't an actual kid and an evil entity that's been alive since the beginning of time but has the maturity level of a preschooler? 

"It's nothing that I can't handle," Jack says.

"But I want you to talk to me! I can help!" 

She's kneeling in front of him, making eye contact with him. Her eyes are moist with unshed tears, she's squeezing his hands. 

"I care about you." 

"I know... I know." 

Jack smiles, patting his mother on her hand. 

"But I'm fine. I just really... Miss Sherry..."

"I understand, baby," she murmurs, moving to wrap her arms around him, embracing her son tightly. "I care for you a lot. I just want the best for you." 

"I know..." 

He hugs her back, stifling back a sob. He's tired of crying, he's tired of staying awake at night, unable to sleep because all he sees is that fucking creature in his mind. He just wants it to stop. It's not going to stop. He has to be stopped before everything will go back to normal. Until Damian is turned in. Once Damian is gone, maybe Sherry will be gone too. Because lately, he's been catching a glimpse of her figure out of the corner of his eyes. Jack will hear her whisper in his ear, begging for a release from this hell she is in. The boy promises to help her, but there is only so much he can do. And it keeps him up at night in fear. 

***

He imagines killing you. You imagine kissing him. 

It's a thought you don't want. 

It's a thought you have.

Your relationship with your parents has gotten worse.

They glare at you, turn their noses up at you. 

You try to talk to them, desperate for them to love you again.

Did they ever love you?

You want to curl up and not exit. You've spent some time trying to appease your parents, and it backfires. What's the fucking point, you wonder. There is none. That's what you think. 

"Hey," his voice is soft. He cups your face and makes you look at him, "Stop spacing out. It's just us. You don't have to be so quiet." 

You two are back at the camping spot. He's leaving tomorrow for a week. It was something about going to visit his grandma. But right now, he's with you. He's cradling you after you just sobbed into his shoulder. 

"There's nothing I wanna say," you answer, and it's the truth. You'd rather just listen to Damian's breathing. 

"Whatever you say, pretty boy." 

He laughs, but it's soft and gentle, just like him. 

***

Damian stares at himself in the mirror, his grin twisted and refusing to turn down. 

"I'm not in love with a damn human," he whispers. 

He's alone in his room at the ski lodge. His grandparents didn't like him, shunning him outwardly, and both his parents were happy to leave him behind. Did they even love him? As cruel as they were to him, it seemed like they didn't. But Carolina likes him. And that was enough for him. Damian only needed his little sister, after all. 

"I'm not in love with (Y/N)."

He repeats this sentence over and over, like a mantra of a dying man. 

"I can't..." 

Damian balls of up his hands, staring at himself in the mirror. He doesn't have his contacts in. He's not trying to hide anything from anybody at the moment. There's no point. 

Sweat drips down his face, and he's on the verge of tears from frustration and anger. (Y/N) had been the only thing on his mind lately. It wasn't fair. He didn't deserve this curse. He was only meant to kill mortals. He hated this vile and disgusting feeling lodging itself in his heart and constricting it like a snake. He stares at his pathetic face in the mirror.

He was the vile and disgusting one. 

Damian keeps that same strained expression on his face when he punches the mirror, watching it shatter around his wrist. That's what he wanted. Damian wanted to shatter (Y/N)'s dreams. He wanted to watch him bleed, beg, hurt, and cry. He wanted to hear (Y/N)'s heart beating against his ear again. To feel the life inside of (Y/N). To feel his warmth. (Y/N) is so unusually warm. He found that annoying. 

Damian wanted (Y/N) to be only his. So only he could be able to feel and enjoy those things. It wasn't fair that he wasn't getting what he wanted. 

He lets his bleeding hand lay limp at his side.

These are all thoughts he's thought about. They were like weeds in his mind. But once (Y/N) was dead, the weeds would die with him. 

But...

Damian looks at himself in the shattered mirror once more. Looks at his pathetic face and smiles a real smile. He didn't want you to die, but he didn't want you to live either. He had a plan to get the best of both worlds. 

_Jack would absolutely have to die._

***

"How was it at the ski lodge?" Jack asks in an innocent enough tone. 

The creature next to him shrugs, flicking his tail as they watch Pirate Island on the TV. 

"I'm not a fan of the cold. But it was nice to see Carolina have fun." 

The two boys lapse back into the silence, eyes glued to the TV. It was very unusual to see both of them relaxing so casually, especially since Damian wasn't in his usual disguise. Jack already questioned him on this. He avoided the question, so it was apparent he had something up his sleeve. 

"Carolina... What is she to you?" 

"Can you shut up?"

"Answer the question."

Damian grumbles, tearing his gaze from the TV. "She's my little sister. There. Now can I _please watch Pirate Island?"_ His voice comes off bitter and whiny in the end, but Jack doesn't let him enjoy the movie.

"She's obviously not your little sister. Is she your host?"

"What now?"

"Yanno... Since you're a parasite, is she your host?" 

Damian doesn't hide his upset expression behind some plastered and fake grin. 

"It's not exactly like that. It's more of a mutualistic relationship." 

"How so?" 

"She gives me blood, and I carry out her orders." 

Jack doesn't skip a beat.

"So, you need blood?" 

"Technically, I need blood. But raw meat works just as fine. Ugh! Shut up! I'm not here to give you a biology lesson!" 

"True... Why did you invite me over?" 

This time, Damian doesn't need to fake his infamous grin.

"Isn't it obvious?" 

He tilts his head to the side, his body limp and lax. So, when he has Jack pinned against the couch, the boy has no idea how it happened so quickly. His chestnut brown hair falls into his face, his head bangs against the arm of the couch. Nails dig into his skint through the thick-clothed jacket he was wearing. 

"I'm going to fucking kill you," says the short boy on his stomach. 

"The deal," Jack reminds him, letting out a pained wheeze. 

"To hell with that deal. You're in my way. You have to go." 

Damian leans in close, breath heavy with mint blowing across Jack's face. It makes his face scrunch up as he struggles to push the boy off. It's harder than it seems, and that makes him terrified. This boy really could kill him and probably get away with it. There would be nothing he could do if that were to happen. 

"You're not going to do that." 

"How are you so sure about that?" 

Jack relaxes underneath the boy's grip, letting a lazy smile bless his lips. 

"You'll devastate (Y/N) so much he won't want to reach out to anyone." 

Damian lets out a barking laugh before responding with a snarky, "Oh really, is that what you think? You shouldn't feel so confident in that statement." 

"Huh... What...?" 

"He depends on me. I've had him in my arms so many times lately... You can hardly believe it. (Y/N) loves me. Like _truly_ love me. With you out of the way, he'll depend on me completely."

"No, he won't! He'll close himself off. He wouldn't want to burden anyone with his problems! I know him!" 

"No, you don't."

Damian is laughing again as Jack's expression twists. 

"He talks about you so often it's not even funny anymore. But don't get your hopes up. It's not in a good way."

"You're lying!" 

"Really?" 

Something flashes in those red eyes as leans back. "Lately, I've been feeling like we don't really understand each other. Jack never wants to talk to me anymore. I don't understand what I did wrong. I think Jack hates me. He's hiding something from me, and he never does," Damian says, in the perfect impression of (Y/N). "All these things, he has said to me. How does that make you feel, Jack? Do you feel sad knowing that your dear childhood friend is doubting you? Do you hate me, even more, knowing that soon he'll only come to love and depend on me when you're gone?"

Damian is leaning back in, licking his lips. Jack was a fun toy while he lasted, but now this period of his life was over. And Jack's entire life was done for. 

"You're not going to kill me..." 

"Are you fucking dumb? Did you not hear a word I said to you? I don't need you anymore. I've grown tired of you. You're _boring._ " 

Jack's heart is beating in his chest, and he can feel the tears coming. He's so fucking scared, and he doesn't know what to do. He has to bullshit his way through this. He has to live.

"You're going to uphold your part of the deal because... Because I... I don't want to die yet. I want to watch you suffer first. I... I..." 

Jack can't do this. Those ruby-red eyes gleam with malice, those gloved nails are drawing blood, and that spear-tipped tail is swinging threateningly in the background. 

"That was the shittest argument I've heard!" 

He laughs, his grip loosening up. 

"It was so pathetic. So much, in fact, you've convinced me." 

Jack feels like his head is spinning, and something is coming up. In a blind panic, he throws Damian off of him, rushing towards the trash can and emptying his gut. 

"Geez, you could have just asked." 

When he feels a bit better, he glares at the boy who's relaxing on the couch once more. 

"Fuck off," Jack mumbles. 

He walks past the couch, slipping on his shoes and jacket.

"Leaving so soon? We haven't even finished the movie, and my little sister won't be home until eight. We still have much more time to get closer." 

"You tried to kill me! And your mom did nothing!" 

Jack glances towards the stairs where he knows Mrs. Eve can hear them talking. This whole family was fucked up. They were letting a demon leech off of them. They knew he killed people and still didn't do anything. But his mind flashes something to what Damian had said. Something about the mutualistic relationship between him and the youngest girl in the family.

"Bye!" he hears Damian call after him as he storms from the house and into the wintery weather. 

Maybe... There's something he can go on from that. 


	18. Early Christmas Gift

[Author's Note; It's 3 in the morning but after i finished editing my friend's work i became inspired to write. i should probably wait to post this to do more editing but hehe..he..] 

***

Jack smiles and says, "That is your second weakness, right?" 

Damian meets his gaze, an expression of repressed fury on his face.

"You're... Correct..." 

***

"I'm surprised you didn't ask the little twerp to come with you." 

(Y/N) shrugs, his hands absently playing with the scarf around his neck. The snow had come in pretty heavy the night before, making the ground slick and the air freezing. 

"He's actually already here." 

"Oh." 

Jack looks away as things go from bad to worse. He doesn't understand why things have gotten so tense between them. It was confusing. He was trying everything to stay on Y/n's better side, but it was getting hard. It was a cold reality that he didn't want to face, but they weren't as close anymore. 

That little fucker was right.

"Maybe we'll run into him. I bet he brought his little sister with him, right?"

"Yeah." 

Y/n looked a little shocked, probably because Jack didn't seem to be the type to keep up with Damian's life.

"Speaking of which, you two have been hanging out lately... Haven't you?" 

"Yeah. Weirdly, Damian has been coming to me a lot. I'm not really interested in hanging out with a junior. But Damian is like a sticker that just won't go away," Jack casually says with a shrug of his shoulders. But he definitely knows what he's saying. If Damian is trying to sow the seeds of doubt into Y/n's head about Jack, the teen boy will do the same right back at him. 

He couldn't have that parasite infecting his friend's mind any longer. 

"Really? That's weird. Ever since he's gotten back from his Grandparents, he's been kinda quiet..." 

Jack feels kinda bad, but then he remembers that his friend shouldn't be getting attached to a backstabbing bitch like Damian.

"Dunno. He hasn't said anything about you if that's what you're worried about." 

"I'm not worried about anything." 

Jack watches Y/n huff, his breath coming out in a big cloud. 

_'Liar,'_ Jack thinks.

***

It's not surprising when they do run into Damian and Carolina. Their mother sits on a bench, sipping at the hot coffee with shaky hands that could simply be passed off as being cold. But she kept glancing at Damian, watching the way he handles her daughter. It's only partly the cold. 

"Hello!" Carolina whispers, hugging a polar bear plush to her chest. "My brother is at the sweets stand if you're looking for him," she tells Jack and Y/n, looking up at them with her big childish eyes. "I'm sure he'll be happy to see you!" 

Damian was, in fact, not happy to see them. He looked miserable with snot threatening to run down his upper lip. His nose, cheeks, and ears were tinted a dark red, and despite the number of hot foods and drinks he consumed, he still felt the creeping cold. 

It didn't help that only consuming the hot stuff made him sick. 

"You look great," Y/n says with a grin, looking at Damian. 

"Oh fuck off," he mutters, teeth chattering. 

"If you didn't like the cold, why did you decide to come to the festival?" Y/n teases.

"Carolina wanted me to come. I could _never_ say no to her." 

They continue talking, excluding Jack from the conversation, which seems to make Damian happy enough. But their little banter is cut off when his little sister makes another appearance, tugging on the end of his sweater. 

She gestures for him to lean down, which he does, and she whispers something in his ear. Carolina isn't quiet, though, so the two boys easily overhear how she wants him to walk her to the bathroom. 

He doesn't much seem to enjoy that idea as he loudly protests with a, "Why don't you go ask Mom to show you?" 

She lets out a small whine and says, "But I'm _asking_ you." 

He glances over to the other two boys before looking at his sister. It's obvious he's about to object her again, but Jack speaks up, "If it's alright, I can show you." 

Damian snaps his head in Jack's direction quickly, practically burning holes straight through with the look he's giving him. Though it melts into an expression of gratitude. 

"Yeah. Is that okay, Carolina?" 

The little girl pouts out her lips a little, before relenting. "Fine... But you owe me since you're ditching me _again_ for him." 

She shoots Y/n a dirty look before following Jack to the bathrooms. 

"I don't think she likes me all that much," Y/n lets out a little laugh, scratching the back of his neck.

"Really? What gave it away?" 

***

Jack waited outside of the bathrooms, keeping that smug grin to himself. Damian willingly let his host be alone with Jack. He'd never found the perfect time to question her since she clung onto her older "brother" like a leech. That was going to bring his downfall if anything. 

"Okay! Thank you for waiting for me!" Carolina says, coming from the bathroom. Jack looks over at her, about to tell her you're welcome when her arm catches his attention. Across her arms is a varied amount of what looks to be scars and fresh scratches that still had bits of blood oozing from them. 

"Are you okay?!" Jack asks, immediately dropping to one knee and reaching for the girl's arm. She lets out a surprised squeak, backing away from Jack and almost slipping on the snow. 

"You scared me!" she snaps, glaring at him and holding her arm close to her chest, "And don't grab at me or I'll tell my brother!" 

Jack grows hot from embarrassment, and he offers his sincerest apologies. 

"You're forgiven," she sniffs and looks at her arms, which were now covered by her heavy coat. "As for your question... yeah, I'm okay." She didn't meet him in the eyes, and he could only assume that she was hiding something from him. But he worried if he pried anymore, she would run to Damian and spill something to him. 

"How did you get those? They're so many of them."

He needed to know. 

"I don't actually know. Damian says I play too rough." 

Jack gets back up, feeling his pants soaked through with snow. Not a comfortable feeling. 

"Do you play too rough?" 

"Maybe? I never really noticed it." 

She plays with the cuffs of her jacket, gazing at the ground. Jack feels bitter disappointment rising in his throat like bile. He wasn't going to get anything from her right now. Maybe there was something he could do to get her to talk. 

"Your brother and I are good friends, but he hardly talks about you or his family."

"And you want me to tell you?"

"Yeah. Unless you don't want to."

She shrugs, kicking at the snow. 

"There's not much to tell. My mother is a stay-at-home mom most of the time, and my dad works sometimes."

"Your mother seems like a nice woman. You really take after her."

"Really?" Carolina asks, glancing in the direction of her mother. The woman of the topic was hunched over, back to them. "That's nice... I guess." 

Their conversation was interrupted when Damian came running, Y/n on his trail like a dog. 

"Hey! Do you mind watching Carolina for a bit? Y/n and I want to play some festival games together." 

Damian's eyes seemed to brighten, and he didn't seem as grumpy anymore, which was probably just an act again. 

"But... But you promised to hang out with me," Carolina lets out a little whine, "You can't break your promise." 

Damian's mood instantly soured. 

"I don't understand why you want to cling to me so bad. Aren't your friends here? Go hang out with them." 

Jack didn't want to leave Y/n alone with Damian. After all, they came here to hang out TOGETHER. But still... He glances towards Carolina, who seems to be getting teary in the eyes. This was a chance for him to get her to open up a little more to him. 

"Carolina, I don't mind playing games with you. I'm pretty good at the shooters, so if you see any prizes you want, I'm pretty sure I can get them for you."

She pouts, before relenting once again.

"Fine. I don't care. Just don't talk to me at home." 

She walks past Damian and Y/n, Jack following hot on her trail. 

***

You stare at Damian, a small feeling of resentment and guilt boiling in your stomach as you watch him ditch his little sister to hang out with you. You would have done anything to hang out with your older sister again, but here he is, taking that for granted. 

But he's also doing that for you. But you also ditched Jack for him, which probably makes you just as bad since you invited Jack out. But you couldn't help offer to hang out with him and play some games with him once the other two were gone. It just seemed like the perfect opportunity. And he seemed so happy when you did offer that, immediately jumping to accept your offer. 

You feel bad, but as he grabs you by your hand and leads you around, your thoughts are slowly replaced. He chats about random stuff. You've never seen him this talkative, but you listen to his every word. He complains about the cold, about how pumpkin doesn't really taste all that good, about a lot of random things, honestly. 

You win him a small toy you saw him eyeing. He laughs at you, saying what use is this cotton-filled thing. He thinks you don't see him looking at it fondly, but you do. Time seems to fly by. You get a text from Jack that says he'll need to head home soon and was wondering if they could meet up at the concession stands. 

"Hey, Jack wants to meet up," you tell Damian. 

"Already leaving?" he asks you.

"Yeah. My parents don't know I'm out, and they're going to be home tonight."

"You're parents suck ass, dude," Damian mumbles.

You don't comment on that. Instead, you tell Damian where Jack wants to meet. Begrudgingly, he agrees and walks beside you. You feel his hand grabs yours. It wasn't a romantic hand-holding like yours and Charlie's. No intertwined fingers, strong grips. It's loose and simply just grasping at your palm. You were going to grip his hand back, but you suddenly seem acutely aware of everybody around you. Everybody's eyes are on you. Somebody is going to whisper to another person and start a rumor about you being gay. Your parents are going to hear.

You pull your hand from his grip, maybe a bit too aggressively, because you can feel his gaze on you. 

"Is there something wrong with my hand?" he asks in a huffy tone. 

"No," you lamely say, "It's just that only couples usually hold hands." 

He scoffs, shoving his hands into his pockets with that grumpy look on his face. 

"That's bullshit," he mutters. 

You try not to wince at his tone. An awkwardness that hasn't been around in a while surrounds you two. You can't help but feel bad, but you don't reach out your hand for his. They stay firmly at your side.

***

Jack was finding his little investigation a little harder than he thought it would be. The girl was so quiet, especially after Damian ditched her. Well, not exactly being quiet... she just wasn't talking to Jack. Instead, she muttered underneath her breath about how much of a dick her older brother was. Jack wholeheartedly agreed with that statement. 

Though, as time went on, things seemed to be smoother between the two. Carolina mumbled a few more words to Jack. Complimented him once even about his aim. 

Things got better from there.

She was even disappointed when you had to leave. While Jack learned absolutely nothing, there was still progress being made, and he knew Damian realized it when he saw how clingy she was being with him. He already seemed in a sour mood, but it only worsened. 

"See you at school," he muttered to them, grabbing his sister's hand and pulling her away.

"Did... Something happened between you two?" Jack asked, raising an eyebrow at the hurried exit of the boy. 

"Dunno," Y/n answered, but Jack quickly saw through that lie. It was simple from his mannerisms. 

"Maybe the cold is just making him grumpy. Anyways, we better hurry up." 

"Yeah." 

Jack tried his best to help his sulking friend, but since Damian was the topic of his sulk, that was very hard. He mostly just wanted to curse out the smaller boy and spill out everything he knew, but that probably wouldn't end well, so he stayed away from that. 

***

Jack found that visiting Damian's house helped a lot instead of the other way around. Carolina usually hung out with them, despite Damian's groans and protests. And the more he hung out around them, the more he saw the influence she had on him. It was funny, honestly. 

He once watched her snap at him to shut up, and he instantly did that. A bunch of little things like that happened. Carolina would tell that creature to do something, and he would do it without hesitation. 

That's how Jack was able to quickly come to the conclusion about this relationship.

"You can't refuse her orders, but in return for her ordering you around, you take her blood or something like that, right?" 

Damian looks a little frustrated, seeing the boy take a seat right next to him on the bench.

"Yeah. I need blood from Carolina whenever she gives an order." 

"Tell me the details." 

"I would be giving too much information..." 

He looks hesitant, a little nervous even, which was a good sign for Jack.

"Does she give consent to you?" 

"Carolina doesn't know what I am, but technically yeah." 

"So those scratches that were all over her...?"

"From me, dumbass." 

Something seemed to click in Jack's mind. And it was pretty apparent from how excited he seemed to be getting. 

"How much do you take for each request?" 

"However much I deem fit..." 

"How much blood do you require from her without her asking for stuff?" 

"It has to be a daily basis thing or... Our "link" or "relationship"... whatever you want to call it, will get weaker... Until it vanishes.`` 

"What happens then?" 

"I need to find a new Master." 

"Why?"

Damian gets more visibly upset by the moment, and he snaps, "Because I need permission to eat. Without a master, I can't do that, shitface." He huffs, getting up from the bench and rubbing his temples. "I'm done with this stupid game of twenty questions or whatever." He grabs his bag, slinging it over his shoulder and getting ready to leave, but Jack is grabbing Damian's arm, yanking him back. Jack knows he has it now.

"One last question." 

He glares at Jack, pushing him away, and straightening himself up. "One last question, and that's it. In fact, I don't want to see your fucking face for a whole week if I can help it." 

"So, will you starve and die if you don't have a master?" 

Damian's expression chills him to the bone. There is no mistaking that from his murderous rage that he knew what Jack had figured out. Damian himself gave it away when he lost control. 

"Your second weakness... Is that you need permission from your master to eat. That means your master is your weakness. You need one, or you'll die. You really are a fucking parasite." 

The boy is dead silent, so Jack forces a smile and says, "That is your second weakness, right?" 

"You're... Correct..." 

Jack watches as a grin slowly spreads across Damian's face, and he tilts his head to the side, almost innocent-like. "This was such a wonderful Christmas gift. Really, I couldn't ask for better, Jack. December is coming to a close in two weeks. That means you'll have..." He pauses to count the months before responding with, "Five months. Do you really think you'll find the third one in time?" 

"Yeah... I'm not going to let you win. So many lives hang in the balance... I can't let you win." 

"Sometimes, things are out of our control. Just give up. I'll spare you if you want to live so badly."

"No." 

Standing here with Damian in the empty courtyard was terrifying. He could lash out any minute and kill him. But he wasn't going to. Damian lets out a laugh and shrugs, turning to walk off. 

"I have to go pick up Carolina soon. Bye-bye, Jack." 

***

Damian lets out a little giggle as he lays in bed. Things hadn't gone as he expected, but that was wonderful! For the first time in a bit, he actually lost control! It was exhilarating, feeling that anger and frustration of being outed by himself was just so wondrous! Sure, he'd been absolutely pissed. But he was so happy that Jack figured out. Fives months, even less, was all they had. 

This game has gotten so interesting! He was right to not have ripped out Jack's throat that time on his couch. But, he couldn't help feeling a little disappointed as he glances glow squid next to him. It was the plush that Y/n won for him because he just had to keep looking at it and making it obvious. 

For the first time in a while, Damian really couldn't get a read on this person. He really thought at first that Y/n might have been developing a crush on him, but then other stuff happened that gave Damian doubt. Y/n would always talk about girls, stare at girls, and talk about the perfect wife. He just got mega mixed signals from that man. 

He's put back into a sober mood. It's not like it really mattered if Y/n had a crush on him. He just needs the boy to really trust him and depend on him a lot so he could have him for himself. Being loved by him in that _way_ would just be a bonus...

Damian reaches out and grabs the little plush, bringing it close to his body. He had been given this by Y/n, and he's going to cherish it even if he doesn't think he will. 

"If only Carolina was dead," he murmurs. 


End file.
